ASHLEY LUCIA TORRES, Ph.D.

University of California, Irvine — 2025

Concentrations: Social Network Analysis; Digital Culture

Dissertation: “Virality and Obfuscation: Memetic Merging, Reduction, and Community Online”
Chair: David Schaefer
Committee: Carter T. Butts, Francesca Polletta, William Dewan

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Relevant Coursework:
– Analysis of Social Network Data
– Network Theory, Dynamic Network Modeling
– Networks & Information Transmission
– Informant Accuracy
– Advanced Regression Methods
– Demographic Methods
– Digital Anthropology

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Professional Affiliations:
– Alpha Kappa Delta
– American Sociological Association (ASA)
– International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)
– UCI Center for Networks and Relational Analysis (CNRA)
– UCI Social Network Analysis Research Group (SNRG)
– UCI Graduate Professional Success for STEM (GPS-STEM)
– UCI Sociology Graduate Student Association (SGSA) Cohort Representative

University of California, Irvine — 2022

Thesis: “Homophily Among News Organizations on Twitter: Following Selection on Believability and Bias”
Committee: David Schaefer (Chair), Carter T. Butts, Andrew Penner

Relevant Coursework: Graduate Statistics (I, II, III), Demographic Methods, Population

University of California, Berkeley — 2018

High Distinction, Departmental Honors, Departmental Citation Finalist, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Delta (International Honor Society of Sociology)

Honors Thesis: “Virtual Group Formation: A Case Study of UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens”
Faculty Advisor: Mary Kelsey