Geoffrey L Wood, PhD

Dr. Geoff Wood is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Applied Research (CFAR). He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Dr. Wood teaches introduction to sociology, introduction to public policy, social problems, research methods, racial and ethnic relations, sociology of politics, social inequality, and organizational behavior. He serves as the faculty advisor for Pi Gamma Mu, the International Social Science Honor Society. He also serves as the public policy major advisor for Pitt-Greensburg.

As the director for CFAR, he has worked on several research projects including: a community health needs assessment for Excela Health, evaluation projects for Private Industry Council, an evaluation of a STEM K-12 program for Aliquippa School District, and an evaluation of the reentry program for Westmoreland County Courts. Dr. Wood frequently recruits student research assistants to work for CFAR so they may learn applied research skills, which can then be used in the pursuit of graduate studies, law school, or career training. These efforts at CFAR have led to the production and publication of applied research reports, in which students can gain authorship through writing experiences.

Dr. Wood has published peer reviewed work including book chapters, journal articles, and a co-edited volume of the impact of natural disasters on social inequality. His work in categorical inequality, critical demography, and social stratification genres of sociological research contributed to his receipt of the President’s Distinguished Professional Development Award in 2020. He is working on an edited volume on how COVID-19 impacts political dynamics and social inequality in the US. 

Dr. Wood serves as co-chair of the Pitt Senate Governmental Relations Committee and represents faculty at the Greensburg campus on the University of Pittsburgh Faculty Assembly. At the Greensburg campus, he serves on the Senate Planning and Budget Committee, and as Vice President of the Faculty Senate. He also serves as President-Elect (2022-2023) of the North Central Sociological Association, and President of the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.