Mai Thai (pronounced "my tie") is a sociologist specializing in areas of criminal justice, education, youth, race/ethnicity, and qualitative methods.
Mai Thai's scholarship primarily employs the tools of cultural sociology to understand power and social inequalities, and she is writing a book called Kids and Cops (under contract with the University of Chicago Press) that explores the intersections of criminal justice and educational institutions.
She has served as a fellow with the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, Haynes Foundation, and Mellon Foundation/Institute for Citizens and Scholars. Her research has been recognized by the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction.
As an educator and experienced workshop facilitator, her teaching background spans various contexts. Whether in college classrooms, with student groups, or in community-based organizations, she draws from critical and engaged pedagogies in her work with diverse populations that range from high schoolers to immigrant parents and elders.