Nicolas Gutierrez III is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Southern California and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Captive Money Lab. He is also a USC Provost’s Fellow and USC Sociology W.E.B. DuBois & Ida B. Wells-Barnett Graduate Scholar. He earned an M.S. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from San Diego State University and a B.A. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine. 

His research focuses on the intersection of unsheltered homelessness, criminalization, and mutual aid in Los Angeles, CA. Nicolas has published in the International Journal on Homelessness, Public Integrity, Scholars Strategy Network, and USC ERI Blog. His research has also been featured in the Voice of San Diego, CBS 8, NBC 7, inewsource, and Televisa Californias.

Nicolas was previously a USC Equity Research Institute Graduate Community-Engaged Research Fellow, CSU Sally Casanova Scholar, Public Administration Theory Network Fellow, and UW-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty’s Professional Development Training Series on Poverty and Economic Mobility Research trainee. He was born and raised in West Adams, where he continues to live and advocate for housing and mobility justice. As a lifelong Angeleno, he loves his city, acknowledges its flaws, and dedicates his research career to advancing his vision of Los Angeles as a truly “just city” for all. In his free time, Nicolas enjoys watching Dodgers games and eating his way through LA.