Dr. Mindes is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Rural Sociology at Iowa State University in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. He earned his M.A. (2015) and Ph.D. (2019) in sociology from Michigan State University. His appointment at Iowa State includes research, teaching, and extension responsibilities. His postdoctoral training at Idaho was in the Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Department. Working with Dr. Paul Lewin, I was involved in a variety of projects related to minority and immigrant entrepreneurship in collaboration with economists. He previously taught in the Department of Sociology at Washington State University, teaching social theory, social problems, social research methods, sociology of sport, and youth and society.
His primary research areas are global migration, community development, ethnic economies and communities, and globalization. He is also interested in population studies, migrant labor, and the sociology of sport. His dissertation, “Emigrant America: Estimating and Envisaging Expatriation to Canada and Mexico,” investigated emigration from the United States to Canada and Mexico, adding to our understanding of the North American Migration System. His current projects investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural workers and the barriers to self-employment for disadvantaged groups.