Dana Haynie CV

Dr. Dana L. Haynie is an ASC Distinguished Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University whose research applies criminological and social network theories and methods to investigate processes related to crime, delinquency, and social inequality. Over the course of her career, Dr. Haynie has transformed the field of criminology through pioneering applications of social network analysis to diverse domains, including adolescent risk behavior, incarceration, online drug trafficking, and far-right extremism. Her innovative work has shaped both scholarly understanding and public policy in areas such as youth violence prevention, prison reform, and the disruption of illegal online markets.

Dr. Haynie’s scholarship spans a wide range of empirical contexts and methodological approaches. Her early work examined how peer relationships and network dynamics shape adolescent involvement in delinquency, substance use, and risky sexual behavior, with a particular focus on racial and gender differences in network structure and behavior. More recent projects analyze prison-based social networks to understand how incarcerated individuals’ ties—both within and outside of prison—affect institutional conduct and post-release outcomes. Another line of research uses longitudinal network data to study the structure and evolution of illegal drug markets on the darkweb. Her most recent research explores the infiltration of alt-right and hate groups into mainstream American institutions, focusing on how extremist rhetoric and ideologies spread through formal and informal networks.

Dr. Haynie’s work has been consistently supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and published in leading sociological and criminological journals including American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Criminology, Social Problems, Social Networks, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Socio-Economic Review, and PLOS One. Her published work has been cited more than 9,500 times. Her Google Scholar profile is available here. 

In addition to her scholarly contributions, Dr. Haynie is a leading figure in the discipline. She currently serves as Co-Editor of Criminology, the flagship journal of the American Society of Criminology, and has previously served on the editorial boards of several other prominent journals. She is a former Director of Ohio State’s Criminal Justice Research Center (2011–2019), past Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology (2005–2008), and former Chair of the ASA Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance. Her national recognition includes selection as an ASC Fellow, recipient of the Albert J. Reiss Jr. Distinguished Scholar Award, membership in the President and Provost’s Leadership Institute at OSU, participation in the HERS National Institute for Women in Higher Education Leadership, and election to the Sociological Research Association, an honor society recognizing excellence in sociological research.

A committed mentor and educator, Dr. Haynie has played a central role in training the next generation of criminologists through hands-on collaboration, methodological training, and coauthorship with graduate students. Her career reflects an enduring commitment to intellectual innovation, methodological rigor, and the pursuit of scholarship that informs both theory and policy.