Bernardo Mackenna

Welcome!

I am a social scientist by training, a researcher by profession, and an educator by calling.

Currently I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology and Computational Social Science at the University of California, San Diego. I received both my undergraduate and master's degree in Sociology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where I also taught and did research as an adjunct assistant professor.

My research interests lie at the intersection of social networks, social stratification, and social psychology. More specifically, I study the ways in which resources and information are distributed in society through interpersonal and institutional interactions. I rely on various quantitative methods, such as surveys, experiments, and computational data, to attempt to identify the causal mechanisms that link social interactions with beliefs and behavior.

My dissertation project, recognized with the Geoffrey Tootell outstanding dissertation in Mathematical Sociology award from the American Sociological Association, examines the extent and consequences of socioeconomic segregation on interpersonal networks, with an emphasis on prosociality and social cohesion. My research has also received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from the World Association of Public Opinion Research (WAPOR), as well as the Edgardo Catterberg Best Paper Award from WAPOR's Latin American chapter.