Rachel Allison joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2014 after receiving her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Her research focuses on gender and intersectionality across societal institutions characterized by women's increased representation, including education, medicine, and sport. Dr. Allison's past research has examined racial and gender stratification in medical specialization and college students' participation in "hook up" culture.

Her current project explores how owners and staff of women's professional soccer in the U.S. craft goals and strategies for selling the league. Dr. Allison has used survey, interview and ethnographic methods in her research, which has been published in journals such as Social Science Research and Sociological Forum.