Katie Lynn Cantwell Butterfield


Research Experience:

  • Postdoctoral Researcher (2023 - present)
  • Agricultural Sustainability Institute - University of California, Davis
    Academic Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Galt
    Lead a mixed-methods project exploring market data use/needs & pricing strategies in California’s organic agrifood industry. Explore trends in adoption of organic food production across California.
    Supporting Grants:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (23-SCPMN-CA-0003)
    University of California Multi-campus Research Programs & Initiatives (M25PR9207)

  • Research Data Analyst II (2021 - 2023)
  • CalFresh and Nutrition Branch - California Department of Social Services
    Tracked various quantitative metrics and led multiple quantitative projects that directly informed leadership’s work to improve equitable food access in California, including a multi-level modeling analysis of the effectiveness of county business practices.

  • Graduate Student Researcher (Spring 2021)
  • University of California, Merced
    Academic Supervisor: Dr. Zulema Valdez
    Supported the curation of web resources on faculty diversity in hiring and retention and the development of assessment tools and evaluative research for related programs.

  • Staff Research Associate (Summer 2020)
  • University of California, Merced
    Academic Supervisor: Dr. Whitney Pirtle
    Drafted a structural equation model to clarify how racial identity mediates the relationship between racial discrimination and poor health.

  • Staff Research Associate (Summer 2015; Summer 2019)
  • University of California, Merced
    Academic Supervisor: Dr. Zulema Valdez
    Led a mixed-methods project exploring the experiences and values of community gardeners and the perceived health impacts of their garden participation.

  • Graduate Student Researcher (Fall 2017)
  • University of California, Merced
    Academic Supervisor: Dr. A Susana Ramírez
    Performed factor analysis and linear and logistic regressions to assess the relationship between perceptions of neighborhood health and attributions of health responsibilities.

  • Staff Research Associate (Spring 2015)
  • University of California, Merced
    Academic Supervisors: Dr. Nella Van Dyke & Dr. Kyle Dodson
    Collected and cleaned missing values from a nation-wide historical dataset on hate crimes and related laws. Compiled and prepared data for analysis.


Teaching Experience:

  • Teaching Fellow - Instructor of Record (2018 - 2020)
  • University of California, Merced

  • Introduction to Sociology (Summer 2018, Summer 2019, Summer 2020)
    This course provides an introduction to applying the “sociological imagination” and exploring how individual behaviors are influenced by society.

  • Statistics for Sociology (Spring 2019; Spring 2020)
    This course introduces the logic and use of statistical techniques in social research, including descriptive, comparative, and inferential statistics, and the use of applicable software (SPSS, SAS).

  • Advanced Race & Ethnicity (Fall 2018, Fall 2019)
    This course examines in depth the main classical and modern explanations of the issues surrounding race and ethnicity.

  • Sociology of Race & Racism (Spring 2018)
    This course provides insight into how race and racism define our lives through systemic and structural racism, racial categorization, ethnic identification, nativism, and intersecting oppressions.


  • Teaching Assistant (2014 - 2017)
  • University of California, Merced

  • Graduate Statistics I (Spring 2017)
    This course in social statistics is required of graduate students in Sociology and takes a systematic approach to the general linear model for continuous dependent variables.

  • Sociological Research Methods (Spring 2016)
    This course provides students with a basic understanding of how to conduct social science research.

  • Statistics for Sociology (Spring 2015, Fall 2016)
    This course introduces the logic and use of statistical techniques in sociological research.

  • Advanced Race & Ethnicity (Fall 2015)
    This course examines in depth the main classical and modern explanations of the issues surrounding Race and Ethnicity.

  • Introduction to Sociology (Fall 2014)
    This course introduces the study of groups, culture, collective behavior, classes and caste, community and ecology, role, status, and personality.