Isabelle Soifer, a seventh-year UC Irvine anthropology graduate student, is the graduate recipient of the 2025 Justice and Equity Research Paper Award. The honor – which includes a $1000 prize – recognizes top graduate and undergraduate research papers addressing race, justice and related topics. Below, the Colorado Springs native explains her award-winning work, “Unsettling the Affordable Housing Crisis Myth in New York City,” and plans post-Ph.D.

Give us some background – where did you earn your undergrad and master’s? What made you decide to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology, and specifically at UCI? What interests you most about your work?

I earned my B.A. at Rice University and my M.A. at Columbia University. My mom, who is a historian, introduced me to the field of cultural anthropology. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in undergrad, and I told her I wanted to participate in a field where I can learn about other people and tell their stories, and she suggested I try this field out in undergrad. My mentor in undergrad suggested UCI for grad school, and I was excited at the prospect of working in an anthropology department that strives to push the boundaries of the discipline and embraces interdisciplinarity. I’m interested in how my work in anthropology can be used to question systems of power in the U.S. and emphasizes the importance of community-centered initiatives aimed at addressing issues of governance and distribution of resources. In addition, how universities can be remade in various ways to support local communities and render universities as more accessible to all people as opposed to closed off.

Tell us more about your research. What problem will your findings help solve?

My research looks at the intersections of resource extraction (primarily land) and power in U.S. cities, specifically the role of universities in shaping neighborhoods and the ways in which housing and education activists navigate and negotiate these forces which have so much social, economic, and political pull in their neighborhoods. My latest project extends on this to examine the role of smart city technology in influencing urban governance and land practices in U.S. cities, particularly in light of the affordable housing, homelessness, and mental health crises. I am hoping my research will help in addressing the role of universities and other major city institutions in contributing to the affordable housing crisis, and urging them to find ways to use their immense economic and social capital to work with local communities as experts in their own right in ways that are tangible and useful without being oppressive and extractive.

Where can your work be found if someone wanted to learn more about your research?

I am currently working on publishing an article with the Journal for the Anthropology of North America entitled “Unsettling the Affordable Housing Crisis Myth in New York City,” and plan to submit an additional article to the Urban Affairs Review entitled “The Ivory City: redefining community, world, and purpose.”

What organizations, foundations, etc. have funded your research while you’ve been at UCI? 

UCI’s Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies and the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI).

Tell us more about your campus activities and accomplishments.

I am currently serving as a DECADE graduate student representative for the Department of Anthropology at UCI. I have also served as a Graduate Student Representative for the Society for the Anthropology of North America as well as the Department of Anthropology at UCI. I’ve received a few grants while here:

The Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, May 2022—Graduate Student Grant to support research project for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, May 2021—Graduate Student Grant to support research project for the 2021-2022 academic year.

DECADE Professional Development Award, February 2025–Stipend in support of attendance to a conference that offers professional development opportunities for students who demonstrate a commitment to inclusive excellence.

Summer Inclusive Excellence Grant, June 2022—Graduate Student Summer Grant for students whose research, teaching, and/or service supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.

Who have been your faculty mentors at UCI, and what impact have they had on your graduate career?

My faculty mentors here have been Dr. Damien Sojoyner, Dr. Eve Darian-Smith, and Dr. Tiffany Willoughby-Herard. Each mentor has provided incredible support and guidance throughout my fieldwork and dissertation preparation, as well as moving forward with my job search and publication efforts. All of my mentors have encouraged me to continue when it felt like it was too hard, and saw potential in my work when I couldn’t see it. I’m forever indebted to them.

When do you plan to complete your Ph.D.? What are your plans thereafter? How has UCI prepared you well for this role?

I plan to complete my Ph.D. by the end of this Summer 2025. I am currently applying for law school, postdoctoral fellowships, and job positions to influence environmental and social justice public policy. UCI has given me immeasurable preparation for any/all of these potential roles, from giving me the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant/Instructor and finding my scholarly voice as a public speaker, to networking and linking with collaborators in and outside of academia to analyze pertinent issues and seeking out possible solutions. 

Any unique life experiences that have guided your educational journey? Give us some background.

I would say working on my emotional/mental health and addressing chronic pain have definitely guided my educational journey. Each of these issues have pushed me to want to seek out assistance for not only myself, but other students dealing with these issues as well. They have led me to want to participate in trying to create educational environments that are open and safe for everyone to participate in.

Any other tidbits you’d like to share?

I’d like to thank my parents, both Russian Jewish immigrants who came to the U.S. without very much, for introducing me to academia and social justice work, as well as all of the mentors I’ve had at Rice University, Columbia University, and University of California, Irvine. I could not be here without all of their support.