Research Interests: Sociology of Health and Medicine, Sociological Theory, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Cultural Sociology, Public Policy, Political Economy

Natalie B. Aviles is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. She specializes in Sociological Theory, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Cultural Sociology, Science and Innovation Policy, and Sociology of Health Care. Her research explores how federal laboratories in the U.S. National Cancer Institute have guided scientific and public policy innovation from the post-war period to the present day.

Dr. Aviles has authored theoretical work on sociological explanation and empirical work on the political economic and cultural dimensions of cancer innovation published in top Sociology and STS journals Sociological Methods & Research, Social Studies of Science, and Science, Technology, & Human Values. Her first book, An Ungovernable Foe: Science and Policy Innovation in the U.S. National Cancer Institute (2024) is out on Columbia University Press.

Dr. Aviles teaches undergraduate courses on the sociology of science and medicine and is a core member of the Sociology Department’s Health and Society concentration. She teaches graduate-level courses in Sociology of Science, Contemporary Theory, and Research Design & Methods and supervises graduate students interested in theory, STS, political sociology, and historical methods. Dr. Aviles is also Affiliate Faculty in the Health, Ethics, and Society Program and serves on the Advisory Board of the Human Biology Distinguished Major Program.

Dr. Aviles received her Ph.D. in Sociology & Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego in 2016. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Virginia, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Colby College and a Presidential Visiting Fellow at Yale University.