Zachary Neal
Associate Professor
Zachary Neal is an expert in cities & neighborhoods, political & transportation networks, and measurement & analysis of social networks.
Get in touchBiography
Zachary Neal uses the tools of Network Science to explore social, political, and economic phenomena. His work on cities focuses on how networks shape the formation of cohesive neighborhoods and communities, as well as the development of global economic networks of trade and transportation. His work on public schools focuses on how communication networks impact administrators' adoption and implementation of evidence-based school programs. He is also active in developing new network analytic techniques,
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especially the use of bipartite graphs to infer social ties. He is the author of four books and more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, and this research has been covered by local, national, and international media outlets.
In addition to his research, Neal regularly teaches graduate-level methods seminars on network analysis and agent-based simulation models. He serves as an editor at the Journal of Urban Affairs, Evidence and Policy, Global Networks, and the Routledge book series Metropolis and Modern Life Series.
Education
University of Illinois, Chicago: Ph.D., Sociology | 2009
University of Illinois, Chicago: M.A., Sociology | 2005
University of Arizona, Tuscon: B.A., Philosophy and Classics | 2001
Selected Press
Are There More People Who Don’t Want Kids Than We Realized?
Psychology Today | 2021-07-08
In a study just published in Plos One, “Prevalence and characteristics of childfree adults in Michigan,” Jennifer Watling Neal and Zachary P. Neal of Michigan State University distinguished childfree adults from childless adults, parents and people planning to be parents.
Congress more divided than the nation
CNN | 2018-10-08
Zachary Neal, associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, performed a unique study looking at political networking among all members of the House and Senate. He found that while thousands of bills are introduced each year, the average member of Congress co-sponsors only about 200.
Media Assets
