Faculty
Orlando Patterson
John Cowles Professor of Sociology
Research Interests: The origins, history and culture of freedom; the comparative study of slavery and ethno-racial relations; the sociology of underdevelopment with special reference to the Caribbean; the problems of familial relations in the black...
David Pedulla
dpedulla@fas.harvard.eduProfessor of Sociology
Research Interests: race and gender stratification, labor markets, and economic and organizational sociology. David Pedulla (he/him) is Professor of Sociology and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. His research agenda examines the processes...
Robert J. Sampson
rsampson@wjh.harvard.eduWoodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor
On Leave 2026-27
Research Interests: Crime, law, and deviance; neighborhood effects; community/urban; sociology of the city; the life course. Robert J. Sampson is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University, Affiliated Research Professor...
Daniel Schneider
dschneider@hks.harvard.eduProfessor of Public Policy and Professor of Sociology
Research Interests: Inequality, social policy, work, social demography Daniel Schneider is the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Sociology in FAS at Harvard University. He is co-director of The Shift...
Dahlia Showalter
dshowalter@fas.harvard.eduAssistant Professor of Sociology
On Leave 2026-27
Dahlia Showalter (she/they) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. Dahlia uses ethnographic and qualitative methods to study illicit drug use and the legal, medical, and social institutions that manage it. Her first book project is...
Theda Skocpol
skocpol@fas.harvard.eduVictor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology
On Leave Spring 2027
Research interests: American politics; political sociology; social revolutions; modern welfare states; comparative historical sociology. Theda Skocpol (PhD, Harvard, 1975) is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University...
Sandra Susan Smith
sandra_smith@hks.harvard.eduDaniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice and Professor of Sociology
Faculty Director of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management
Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute
Research Interests: Urban poverty and joblessness, social capital and social networks, and the front end of criminal case processing. Smith's publications include Lone Pursuit: Distrust and Defensive Individualism among the Black Poor; The Criminal...
Adaner Usmani
ausmani@fas.harvard.eduAssociate Professor of Sociology and Social Studies
On Leave 2026-27
Research Interests: Inequality, Social Policy, Labor and Social Movements, Crime and Punishment. Adaner Usmani is Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Studies, effective July 1, 2025. His research is driven by some simple questions about the...
Jocelyn Viterna
jviterna@wjh.harvard.eduProfessor of Sociology
Research Interests: Gender, politics, law, health, social mobilization, reproductive justice, abortion criminalization, violence, Central America Jocelyn Viterna is Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. Her research examines how social...
Mary C. Waters
mcw@wjh.harvard.eduJohn L. Loeb Professor of Sociology
PVK Professor of Arts and Sciences
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Research Interests: Social demography; race and ethnic relations; social stratification. Mary C. Waters is the John L. Loeb Professor of Sociology at Harvard University and the PVK Professor of Arts and Sciences. She specializes in the study of...
Xiang Zhou
xiang_zhou@fas.harvard.eduProfessor of Sociology
On Leave Fall 2026
Research interests: Quantitative methodology, economic inequality and mobility, and contemporary Chinese society. Xiang Zhou is Professor of Sociology. He is also a faculty affiliate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard Institute...
