Rate My Professor Nicholas Harrigan

Dr. Nicholas Harrigan is Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Sociology in the Department of Sociology, School of Communication, Society and Culture at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. He completed his PhD in Politics at the Australian National University, followed by a postdoctoral researcher position in Sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Prior to joining Macquarie University, Harrigan served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Singapore Management University from 2008 to 2017. His research specializations encompass social networks, particularly networks of conflict such as negative ties and signed graphs; low-wage migrant workers in Australia and Asia; and participatory approaches to social research. Harrigan's work explores themes including social contagion, the political mobilization of corporate elites, mental health among migrant workers, public health disparities linked to political orientation and education, and decision-making in agricultural systems.

Harrigan has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to advancements in quantitative sociology. Key publications include 'Political orientation and public health: the evolving impact of Republican vote share on COVID-19 mortality across pandemic waves' (2025, co-authored with Jie Zhuo), 'Reshaping agricultural production systems: trade-offs and implications for sustainable intensification' (2025, co-authored with Van Touch et al.), 'The dual employment destinations for rural Cambodians: skills, distance and non-monetary returns on migration' (2025, co-authored with Caitlin Finlayson et al.), 'Normative learning generates behaviour change: the case of drowning prevention' (2024, co-authored with Brian R. Cook et al.), 'Dimensions of Social Networks: A Taxonomy and Empirical Application' (co-authored with Michael Genkin et al.), and 'Vital yet vulnerable: mental and emotional health of South Asian migrant workers in Singapore' (co-authored with Chiu Yee Koh). His scholarship has received over 900 citations, underscoring its impact on the academic field. Harrigan also supervises postgraduate research and convenes units on social survey research methods.