He earned his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. His research interests include social stratification and inequalities, focusing on poverty, economic inequality, and social welfare. He has taught a variety of related college courses, including wealth and poverty, social inequality, social problems, sociological theory, demography, and introduction to social welfare. His research has been published in books and academic journals, he regularly presents his research at academic conferences, he frequently organizes academic symposia focusing on these social problems, and he acts as a reviewer for multiple academic journals.