Michelle Smirnova is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rice University and the founding Director of Housing & Neighborhoods at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Her research explores the root causes of inequality, especially how well-intended policies can sometimes backfire. Drawing on Black Feminist thought, she focuses on the insights of those directly affected by social issues—people who understand, cope with, and resist structural violence.

Dr. Smirnova's first book, The Prescription-to-Prison Pipeline (Duke, 2023), shares the often-silenced perspectives of people criminalized during the "opioid epidemic." Her next book, Tenant Power (Princeton, forthcoming), investigates how tenant unions are creating a more equitable housing system. Ultimately, she aims to learn from and build power alongside those whose knowledge has been discredited by systems of power.