Philip V. McHarris

Dr. Philip V. McHarris is a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University in the Department of African American Studies and the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. He recently completed his PhD in Sociology and African American Studies at Yale University.

Philip’s main areas of research include racial inequality, housing, and policing. His current research focuses on the experiences of residents of a high-rise public housing development in Brooklyn, NY as they navigate concerns surrounding safety, policing, building conditions, and cycles of poverty.

In another line of research, Philip examines the causes and consequences of the large-scale expansion of policing in the United States since 1965 and the strategies that communities employ to challenge police expansion and end police violence. Philip draws on qualitative and quantitative methods throughout his research. Philip is a recipient of the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. He received his B.A. in Sociology from Boston College.

In addition to his scholarly work, Philip has written for outlets that include The New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, The Guardian, MTV, and Nickelodeon. His commentary has been featured on HBO, CNN, TIME, and PBS. In 2020, Philip was selected as one of theRoot 100 Most Influential African Americans.

Recent Publications:

New York Times: “No More Money for the Police“

The Nation: “When Police Traffic in Racism”

Washington Post: “Why does the Minneapolis police department look like a military unit?”

Al Jazeera: “It is time to cancel student debt and make higher education free”

Essence: “Public Housing Residents May Be Some Of The Hardest Hit By COVID-19 Outbreak“

Washington Post: “Democrats Are Ignoring a Key Piece of Criminal Justice Reform — Slicing Police Budgets.”