Dr. Morris' general intererests are in developing methodology for the study of social networks and stratification. Her current research has two largely separate programs of study.
Networks channel the transmission of an infectious disease.
Systematic biases in partnership formation, such as assortative mixing by age or race, and variations in the timing and sequence of partnerships, can make the difference between an isolated outbreak of infection and a full scale epidemic. Morris has developed extensions to generalized linear models that enable one to link data on population networks to dynamic simulation models for the spread of infection. This has made it possible to conduct appropriate surveys in several countries, including the United States, Thailand, and Uganda. Dr. Morris is currently working on the comparative analysis of these data sets. Morris also works on labor economics issues, including the recent growth in overall earnings inequality, and the simultaneous narrowing of the wage gap between the sexes.