Deputy Head (Population Health)

Megan Evans

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I am currently a research scientist (postdoctoral researcher) and the Deputy Head of Population Health at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany. I graduated with my PhD in Sociology and Demography from Pennsylvania State University in May 2023.

My research investigates the social processes that perpetuate place-based inequalities and shape racial and ethnic disparities, population health, and social stratification. I pursue these interests through two interconnected lines of inquiry: 1) structural racism and place-based inequalities, exploring how racialized perceptions of place and structural racism shape housing markets, neighborhood reputations, and segregation; and 2) population mobility and neighborhood networks, examining how social and spatial networks influence mobility, health disparities, and neighborhood spillovers. I integrate advanced methods – including social network analysis, spatial analytics, and text and sentiment analysis – and a variety of data types – including traditional surveys, censuses, and big data – to deepen our sociological understanding of urban stratification. Ultimately, my research aims to inform policy efforts to address housing inequality, segregation, and health disparities across communities.

MPIDR Publications

Recent All

Afable, S. B. D.; Evans, M.; Korhonen, K.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Martikainen, P.; Myrskylä, M.; Kulu, H.:

Are ageing parents and adult children living farther apart? Decomposing trends in intergenerational distance and co-residence in Finland (2003-2017)

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2025-011. (2025)    

Afable, S. B. D.; Evans, M.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Korhonen, K.; Martikainen, P.; Mikolai, J.; Myrskylä, M.; Kulu, H.:

Who moves where? A family ties perspective on later-life health decline and residential mobility in Finland

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2025-037. (2025)    

Afable, S. B. D.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Evans, M.; Mikolai, J.; Kulu, H.; Myrskylä, M.:

Health decline and residential transitions among older adults in Europe

Population, Space and Place 31:7, e70116–e70116. (2025)    

Evans, M.:

Race, crime, and lending risk in Chicago: the relevance of crime and disorder for HOLC’s neighborhood assessments

Race and Social Problems, 1–15. (2025)    

Evans, M.; Graif, C.; Newell, A.:

Arrests and the opioid epidemic: an investigation into the spatial and social network spillover of opioid overdoses in Chicago

Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 1–30. (2025)    

Recent All

Afable, S. B. D.; Evans, M.; Korhonen, K.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Martikainen, P.; Myrskylä, M.; Kulu, H.:

Are ageing parents and adult children living farther apart? Decomposing trends in intergenerational distance and co-residence in Finland (2003-2017)

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2025-011. (2025)    

Afable, S. B. D.; Evans, M.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Korhonen, K.; Martikainen, P.; Mikolai, J.; Myrskylä, M.; Kulu, H.:

Who moves where? A family ties perspective on later-life health decline and residential mobility in Finland

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2025-037. (2025)    

Afable, S. B. D.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Evans, M.; Mikolai, J.; Kulu, H.; Myrskylä, M.:

Health decline and residential transitions among older adults in Europe

Population, Space and Place 31:7, e70116–e70116. (2025)    

Evans, M.:

Race, crime, and lending risk in Chicago: the relevance of crime and disorder for HOLC’s neighborhood assessments

Race and Social Problems, 1–15. (2025)    

Evans, M.; Graif, C.; Newell, A.:

Arrests and the opioid epidemic: an investigation into the spatial and social network spillover of opioid overdoses in Chicago

Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 1–30. (2025)    

Evans, M.; Newmyer, L.:

A state-level examination into structural racism and racialized disparities in sexually transmitted infections

Spatial Demography 13:4, 1–31. (2025)    

Afable, S. B. D.; Vierboom, Y. C.; Evans, M.; Mikolai, J.; Kulu, H.; Myrskylä, M.:

Health decline and residential transitions among older adults in Europe

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2024-018. (2024)    

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