Michael Sierra-Arévalo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sierra-Arévalo’s research employs quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate police culture, behavior, and legitimacy. His first book, The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing, is forthcoming from Columbia University Press (Spring ‘24). Drawing on ethnographic field work and interviews with police officers in three U.S. police departments, The Danger Imperative shows how policing’s cultural preoccupation with violence and death shapes police practice and social inequality.

His other research interests include firearms and violence prevention. Sierra-Arévalo’s research has appeared in a variety of social science publications, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Criminology, Law & Society Review, and the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. His writing and research can also be found in a range of popular outlets, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Times Higher Education, Slate, GQ, and NPR.