Senior Research Associate
Erin Johnston is currently a Senior Research Associate and Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and an affiliate of the Clergy Health Collaborative at Duke University. In this role, she leads qualitative data collection and analysis for the Seminary to Early Ministry (SEM) Study. This longitudinal, mixed methods, cohort study follows divinity school students from matriculation into the early years of their careers in an effort to examine how seminary forms students. Using annual surveys, in-depth interviews, and site visits the team is tracking students' theological beliefs, social and political attitudes, physical and mental health, social networks, academic experiences, and career aspirations. This is the first-ever long-term study of divinity school students.
She also co-leads a project, "Politics and Polarization in Mainline Protestant Congregations," which received funding from Bass Connections at Duke University, and teaches undergraduate courses in the Department of Sociology.