Loren Beard
Loren Beard is a Harvard College Fellow who received their PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 2025. Their research leverages quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the social and structural determinants of child and family well-being. Their dissertation, for instance, identifies how youth aging out of child welfare navigate system age cutoffs amidst social precarity and destabilized social ties. In related articles, they study how social policies shape the health and well-being of children and families.
Their work has been published in outlets like Social Science & Medicine, Sociological Forum, and Children & Youth Services Review and has received awards from the American Sociological Association and Society for the Study of Social Problems. They have also received external funding from the American Sociological Association, Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, and AHRQ T32 Health Services Research Fellowship. Lastly, they are committed to engaging with broader audiences, such as through their previous work with NPR, and advancing equity in higher education, by remaining active in QuestBridge, a scholarship organization for low-income students.