About

Todd W. Ferguson

I'm a quant-heavy mixed-methods sociologist with over 10 years of experience in designing, executing, and analyzing research projects. I enjoy taking questions about complex social issues and using the best research methods to discover answers that have a real impact in our world.

I’m a specialist in the sociology of religion, where I research organizations and leaders within religious communities. In my book, “STUCK” (2022, Fortress Press), I analyzed interviews of religious leaders who no longer wanted to lead their congregations. My co-author and I discovered that it wasn’t psychological burnout or a loss of faith for these clergy. It was the structure of the profession that led to their alienation from their career and calling. These leaders felt that the congregation was no longer the place where they could follow their calling. They wanted out but felt stuck in the ministry.

I am the Director of the Social Sciences Quantitative Methods Program and an Assistant Teaching Professor of Sociology at Rice University. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology at Baylor University and my M.Div. at Duke Divinity School.

I am married to Emma, a veterinarian, and we have two beautiful children.

If you’d like to see my CV, please click here.