He is a computational sociologist interested in the evolution and population dynamics of ideas. His work blends computational methods with qualitative insights from science studies to probe the strategies, preferences, and social processes that shape the production and persistence of scientific ideas. He also develops formal models of the structure and evolutionary dynamics of ideas and institutions. He is the co-founder of the Metaknowledge Research Network, funded by the John Templeton Foundation. His work has appeared in American Sociological Review, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sociological Science, and Social Networks.