Education
I have a diverse background, growing up and studying in different countries, among people of different languages and cultures.
Ph.D. and MA in Sociology
University of Virginia
2010-2017 (Scholarships)
M.Sc. in International Political Economy
London School of Economics & Political Science
2008-2009 (Distinction, Scholarship)
B.Sc. in International Relations
Certificate in International Economics
Middle East Technical University
2004-2008 (First of Class, Scholarship)
Ph.D. and MA in Sociology
University of Virginia
2010-2017 (Scholarships)
M.Sc. in International Political Economy
London School of Economics & Political Science
2008-2009 (Distinction, Scholarship)
B.Sc. in International Relations
Certificate in International Economics
Middle East Technical University
2004-2008 (First of Class, Scholarship)
Additional Trainings & Certificates
IFS with Neurodivergent Clients - Individuals and Couples (2025)
IFS Institute
Human-Centered AI Leadership Certificate (2025)
AI-Powered Women
Parent Coach Certificate (2023)
The Jai Institute for Parenting
Use of Expressive Therapy in Telehealth (2023)
Looking Glass Counseling
Level-1 Internal Family System (IFS) Practitioner Certificate (2022)
IFS Institute
Program Management Professional Certification Training Certificate (35 hours) (2022)
Merit Global Training
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Pschotherapy (AEDP) & IFS for Trauma and Dissociation (2021)
PESI & Kari Gleiser, PhD
EEC Essentials Course Completion Certificate (2021)
MA Department of Early Education and Care
Forest Therapy Guide Certificate (2020)
Association for Nature & Forest Therapy Guides and Programs
Therapeutic Art Life Coach Certification (Accredited) (3.5 hours) (2020)
Udemy & Transformation Services
IFS Institute
Human-Centered AI Leadership Certificate (2025)
AI-Powered Women
Parent Coach Certificate (2023)
The Jai Institute for Parenting
Use of Expressive Therapy in Telehealth (2023)
Looking Glass Counseling
Level-1 Internal Family System (IFS) Practitioner Certificate (2022)
IFS Institute
Program Management Professional Certification Training Certificate (35 hours) (2022)
Merit Global Training
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Pschotherapy (AEDP) & IFS for Trauma and Dissociation (2021)
PESI & Kari Gleiser, PhD
EEC Essentials Course Completion Certificate (2021)
MA Department of Early Education and Care
Forest Therapy Guide Certificate (2020)
Association for Nature & Forest Therapy Guides and Programs
Therapeutic Art Life Coach Certification (Accredited) (3.5 hours) (2020)
Udemy & Transformation Services
Honors, Awards & Grants
National Science Foundation (Award #1603041) (2016-2017)
Dissertation Improvement Grant ($9,739)
George Mason University, Mercatus Center (2016-2017)
Adam Smith Fellowship ($5,000-$10,000)
University of Virginia, Scholars’ Lab (2014-2015)
Praxis Fellowship ($8,000)
University of Virginia, Department of Sociology (2013-2014)
The Bierstedt Award for Best Graduate Student Paper
University of Virginia, Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences (2012-2013)
Quantitative Collaborative Graduate Student Fellow ($2,000)
Eastern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting Program Committee (2012)
Travel Grant ($500)
Government of Albania, Ministry of Education (2010-2013)
The ‘Fund of Excellence’ Scholarship for Graduate Studies ($18,000)
London School of Economics, International Relations Department (2009)
‘Distinction’ for the MSc in International Political Economy
London School of Economics, International Relations Department (2008-2009)
Graduate Support Scheme Scholarship ($30,000-40,000)
Middle East Technical University, Department of International Relations (2008)
Ranked ‘First of the Class’
Government of Albania, Ministry of Education (2004-2008)
Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies in Turkey
Dissertation Improvement Grant ($9,739)
George Mason University, Mercatus Center (2016-2017)
Adam Smith Fellowship ($5,000-$10,000)
University of Virginia, Scholars’ Lab (2014-2015)
Praxis Fellowship ($8,000)
University of Virginia, Department of Sociology (2013-2014)
The Bierstedt Award for Best Graduate Student Paper
University of Virginia, Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences (2012-2013)
Quantitative Collaborative Graduate Student Fellow ($2,000)
Eastern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting Program Committee (2012)
Travel Grant ($500)
Government of Albania, Ministry of Education (2010-2013)
The ‘Fund of Excellence’ Scholarship for Graduate Studies ($18,000)
London School of Economics, International Relations Department (2009)
‘Distinction’ for the MSc in International Political Economy
London School of Economics, International Relations Department (2008-2009)
Graduate Support Scheme Scholarship ($30,000-40,000)
Middle East Technical University, Department of International Relations (2008)
Ranked ‘First of the Class’
Government of Albania, Ministry of Education (2004-2008)
Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies in Turkey
Publications
Gjata, Joris, Rowe, M.S., Roudbari, S. (2023). Expand or Translate?: Theorising Work in Professionals' Activism. In: Maestripieri, L., Bellini, A. (eds) Professionalism and Social Change. Palgrave Macmillian, Cham.
Rowe, Matthew S., Gjata, J., Roudbari, S. (2020). Dissenting Designers: Reading Activism and Advocacy in Architecture through a Sociological Lens. Architectural Theory Review. Vol.24(1).
Erol, A.E., Gjata, J., (2014). Dogmamis çocuga don biçmek”: Visions of a Multicultural Family. In: Gonzalez, A., Harris, T. (eds) Mediating Culture: Parenting in Intercultural Contexts. Lexington Books.
Rowe, Matthew S., Gjata, J., Roudbari, S. (2020). Dissenting Designers: Reading Activism and Advocacy in Architecture through a Sociological Lens. Architectural Theory Review. Vol.24(1).
Erol, A.E., Gjata, J., (2014). Dogmamis çocuga don biçmek”: Visions of a Multicultural Family. In: Gonzalez, A., Harris, T. (eds) Mediating Culture: Parenting in Intercultural Contexts. Lexington Books.
Teaching
I have received advanced training on the philosophy and practices of teaching in organizations of higher education, to enhance my skills for managing diversity in the classroom and creating an environment conducive to learning for me and my students. I completed a professional development seminar called “Teaching and Learning in Higher Education” organized by the Teaching Resource Center of the University of Virginia in Spring 2013. As part of this seminar, I developed a sample syllabus and planned for a course titled “The Sociology of Globalization”.
Classroom Experience
Introduction to Social Statistics, Instructor and Teaching Assistant to Professor Adam Slez
Undergraduate Students (Summer 2014 and Spring 2014)
Introduction to Statistics, Grader for Professor Elizabeth H. Gorman
Graduate Students (Fall 2015)
Intermediate Statistics, Grader for Professor Adam Slez
Graduate Students (Spring 2016)
Research Methods, Teaching Assistant for Professor Elizabeth H. Gorman
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2013)
Introduction to Social Theory, Teaching Assistant for Professor Krishan Kumar
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2011)
Introductory Sociology, Teaching Assistant for Professor Jeffrey K. Olick
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2012)
Criminology, Teaching Assistant and Grader for Professor Robert McConnell
Undergraduate Students (Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, and Spring 2017)
Law and Society, Teaching Assistant for Professor Jason Manning
Undergraduate Students (Spring 2011)
American Society and Popular Culture, Teaching Assistant for Professor Allan McCoy
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2010)
Introduction to Social Statistics, Instructor and Teaching Assistant to Professor Adam Slez
Undergraduate Students (Summer 2014 and Spring 2014)
Introduction to Statistics, Grader for Professor Elizabeth H. Gorman
Graduate Students (Fall 2015)
Intermediate Statistics, Grader for Professor Adam Slez
Graduate Students (Spring 2016)
Research Methods, Teaching Assistant for Professor Elizabeth H. Gorman
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2013)
Introduction to Social Theory, Teaching Assistant for Professor Krishan Kumar
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2011)
Introductory Sociology, Teaching Assistant for Professor Jeffrey K. Olick
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2012)
Criminology, Teaching Assistant and Grader for Professor Robert McConnell
Undergraduate Students (Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, and Spring 2017)
Law and Society, Teaching Assistant for Professor Jason Manning
Undergraduate Students (Spring 2011)
American Society and Popular Culture, Teaching Assistant for Professor Allan McCoy
Undergraduate Students (Fall 2010)
Research
As an economic sociologist I have studied innovation in markets, regulation, organizations, and professions. My research has focused on the emergence of new market institutions and their ability to persist through time. Through my work, I have highlighted how the design and implementation of rules affect inequality and are shaped by power and culture.
My research lies at the intersection of economic sociology, organizations, professions, and political sociology. It aims to develop a sociological perspective for examining interdisciplinary subjects such as regulation, implementation, innovation, and designation by law. Among others, my studies emphasize the role of organizations and their work in shaping market institutions, their rules and practices. For instance, using historical data, my dissertation project highlights how organizational identity work shapes the form and meaning of regulation through time. The projects that rely on survey data show the effect of organizational culture and organizational status on the extent to which organizations implement innovations. In the project with the team at the University of Colorado Boulder, I pay special attention to professional organizations and their power to mobilize resources and shape not only markets for professional work, but also policy design and implementation.
My research lies at the intersection of economic sociology, organizations, professions, and political sociology. It aims to develop a sociological perspective for examining interdisciplinary subjects such as regulation, implementation, innovation, and designation by law. Among others, my studies emphasize the role of organizations and their work in shaping market institutions, their rules and practices. For instance, using historical data, my dissertation project highlights how organizational identity work shapes the form and meaning of regulation through time. The projects that rely on survey data show the effect of organizational culture and organizational status on the extent to which organizations implement innovations. In the project with the team at the University of Colorado Boulder, I pay special attention to professional organizations and their power to mobilize resources and shape not only markets for professional work, but also policy design and implementation.
Other Publications
- Gjata, Joris (2010) “Lessons from the Turkish-Armenian Protocols” Turkey Analyst. Vol. 3. No. 7.
- Gjata, Joris (2009). “Turkey and the IMF: What Delays the Deal”. Turkey Analyst. Vol. 2. No. 20.
- Gjata, Joris. “The Context and Management of Professional Work in Innovation Implementation: How Organizational Culture Affects the Use of Care Management Practices in Large Physician Organizations in the United States.” Sociological Perspectives
- Gjata, Joris. Organizations of Judgment with No Judgment: The Rise of Private Governance through Rating Systems in American Finance and Healthcare
- Gjata, Joris. "Organizational Identity and Regulation-by-Information: Private Securities Rating Enters Government Regulation in American Finance (1900s-1950s)." Academy of Management Journal
- Gjata, Joris. “Organizational Status and the Implementation of Innovations: Governance Changes in Organizations of Higher Education.” Organization Studies
- Gjata, Joris. "Academic Discourse about Professional Contention and The Future of Professional Work: The Case of American Engineering" Social Forces
- Gjata, Joris. “Successful Alliance and Failed Adoption: How National Identity Shaped the Adoption of Central Bank Independence in Singapore.”
- Roudbari, Shawhin, Joris Gjata & Matthew Rowe. "Activists at Work: Understanding Dissent as Architectural Labor."
- Gorman, Elizabeth H., Sarah E. Mosseri, and Joris Gjata.“Institutions, Politics, and State Regulation of Professions: Establishing the U.S. Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board.”
Dissertation Summary
My dissertation examines the emergence and transformation of regulation-by-information—a form of regulating producers through information products without specifying enforcement mechanisms. I trace the evolution of this form in the American finance and healthcare sectors. Using data on congressional records and hearings, organizational histories and accounts, examinations of industry publications, and newspaper articles, I examine how securities rating and hospital accreditation emerged as mainly private enterprises and transformed into increasingly public endeavors, culminating with their providers' recognition and designation in law. I find that the organizational identity work of rating/accreditation organizations—how they presented their product and themselves—contributed to their regulatory power and legal incorporation.
My dissertation examines the emergence and transformation of regulation-by-information—a form of regulating producers through information products without specifying enforcement mechanisms. I trace the evolution of this form in the American finance and healthcare sectors. Using data on congressional records and hearings, organizational histories and accounts, examinations of industry publications, and newspaper articles, I examine how securities rating and hospital accreditation emerged as mainly private enterprises and transformed into increasingly public endeavors, culminating with their providers' recognition and designation in law. I find that the organizational identity work of rating/accreditation organizations—how they presented their product and themselves—contributed to their regulatory power and legal incorporation.
Other Research Projects Overview
- In a award-winning paper, I use regression analyses of restricted-access survey data to examine the effect of organizational culture on the extent to which physician organizations in the United States used a set of new care management practices i.e. evidence-based management. Among others, I find that physician organizations with a diverse culture implemented evidence-based management more fully than those with a strong culture.
- With Elizabeth H. Gorman and Sarah E. Mosseri, we are examining the accounting profession's transition from self-regulation to state regulation. Analyzing the legislative hearings associated with the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, we note how political contestation affected the positions of key stakeholders, including accounting professionals, lawyers, corporate clients and public investors, and ultimately shaped the form of regulation for the accounting profession.
- In another paper in preparation, I use regression analysis to determine whether status explains the extent to which U.S. four-year colleges and universities have put in place and used new governance models i.e. a different relationship between faculty members and university administrators in the last decade. I find that the higher the organizations's status, the less extensive its implementation of a new governance model.
- With Shawhin Roudbari and Matthew S. Rowe, we are writing about our field work and in-depth interviews with design professionals, such as civil engineers and architects, that dissent as a result of their involvement in social justice work. Our project examines the interactions of institutional context, professional culture, professional and personal identities, and work practices to understand, among others, the barriers and enablers of institutional change within this professional field.
