Derick S. Baum is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia. He is a quantitative sociologist who develops and applies statistical and computational methods to address substantive questions in the social sciences.

He received his Ph.D. and A.M. in Sociology from Harvard University and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he double-majored in Sociology and Mathematics. Before joining UGA, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University, where he held a Quantitative Research Methods Fellowship and was primarily affiliated with the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC).

Substantively, Baum uses network data to study patterns of social interaction and disparities in access to social resources. His research examines questions such as: What individual characteristics are associated with larger personal networks? What barriers shape contact across groups defined by sociodemographic characteristics, religious affiliation, or occupational position? By addressing these questions, his work seeks to shed light on the population-level distribution of social capital and the processes that strengthen or erode social cohesion.

Methodologically, Baum develops statistical models and software to analyze network data and address these substantive questions. He also studies data quality in survey-based network measurement and develops strategies to improve the design and collection of network data. Beyond social networks, his methodological research extends to two additional areas: decomposition methods for studying population-level disparities and causal inference in settings characterized by complex interdependencies among variables.