Welcoming Graduate Program Coordinator David Cruikshank

David CruikshankPlease join us in welcoming David Cruikshank, the newest member of the Department’s administrative team! David has been hired as our Graduate Program Coordinator and will support the Department’s degree-seeking students and academic team.  Get to know a little about David below:

Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the Boston area? What do you enjoy most about living in the Boston area?

I’m from New York, just outside New York City originally (Westchester county). I’ve been in Boston since mid-2017. My favorite part of living in the Boston area is the amount of green space around. I love just walking around all the parks and squares and seeing what they have to offer. I also love the variety of opportunities in the Boston area. There’s always something new to discover.

What are some highlights from your previous work or educational experiences? 

Previously, I worked at a social science research nonprofit. We looked at real-world problems and brought in scholars, academics, and experts to find research-backed solutions to them. The biggest highlight was the Graduate Student Workshops I ran, which brought together graduate students to have them workshop each other’s in process research across a variety of topics. Some other highlights of that work included our 2019 Conference on Inequality and Decision Making and our numerous book projects, including our volume on democratic erosion and breakdown.

What did you enjoy most about previous roles you’ve had?

What I’ve enjoyed most in my previous roles was supporting my fellow team members to achieve their best work. I’ve always thought that the most important part of any organization is the people, so helping them is always important. Beyond that, I really enjoy planning events of all kinds.

What are you most looking forward to or hoping to contribute in your new role in the department?

As I mentioned earlier, I really like making sure everyone has the resources and information they need to do their best work. Therefore, I’m looking forward to supporting our graduate students to make sure they have everything they need as they go through our programs. I know there’s a lot of information to keep track of for them, so I’m hoping to make that process easier for them. I’m also just looking forward to getting to know the staff, the faculty, and the students.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy singing, mostly in choruses, attending shows and concerts, reading far too much sci-fi/fantasy, and playing video games.