NEWS

Congratulations, Ph.D. recipients

Daniel Schlozman | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2011

Daniel Schlozman, shown here with committee members Theda Skocpol (Chair), Andrea Campbell (MIT), and Sidney Verba, successfully defended his dissertation, "The Making of Partisan Majorities: Parties, Anchoring Groups, and Electoral Change," in October 2010. Eric Schickler of UC Berkeley also served on the committee. Danny is currently a postdoctoral research fellow with Harvard's Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America.

Congratulations to our 2010 Ph.D.'s

Michael J. Fortner | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2010

Michael Fortner celebrated the defense of his dissertation, "Webs of Difference: The Social and Institutional Roots of Racial Politics in New York City and London," in October 2009 with committee members Jennifer Hochschild (Chair), Theda Skocpol, Nancy Rosenblum, and Peter Hall. For 2010-2011, Michael will be a Visiting Fellow of Pennoni Honors College, Drexel University.

Katie Gan | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2010

Katie Gan received her Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy in May 2010 and is now a Senior Analyst with Abt Associates in Cambridge, MA. Katie is shown here with dissertation committee members Frank Dobbin, Kathy Edin, and Chris Winship (Chair) at the conclusion of her dissertation defense, "Women's Hiring in Context: Structural Opportunities for Discretionary Hiring."

Benjamin Goodrich | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2010

Benjamin Goodrich received his Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy in May 2010 and is now a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Andrew Gelman at the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University. Ben's dissertation, "It's Not All about the Benjamins: Essays on Political Economy and Social Psychology Theories of Welfare State Preferences," was advised by James Alt, Torben Iversen, and Kevin M. Quinn (University of California, Berkeley).

Laura Tach | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2010

Laura Tach is a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania (2010-2012) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University (beginning 2012). Laura is shown here with dissertation committee members Rob Sampson, Kathy Edin, and Christopher Jencks (Chair) following the defense of her dissertation, "Beyond Concentrated Poverty: The Social and Temporal Dynamics of Mixed-Income Neighborhoods."

Congratulations to our 2009 Ph.D.'s

Jesse Bradford | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

Jesse Bradford, shown here with committee members Chris Winship, Mary Waters (Chair), and Katherine Newman (Princeton University), defended his dissertation, "American/Muslims: Reactive Solidarity, Identity Politics, and Social Identity Formation in the Aftermath of September 11th," in December 2008. In January 2009, Jesse headed off to London to begin work at McKinsey and Company.

Sarah Halpern-Meekin | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

Sarah Halpern-Meekin, who received her Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy in 2009, has been a postdoctoral fellow with the National Center for Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University (2009-2010) and is now an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Sarah is shown here at the conclusion of her dissertation defense with committee members Martin Whyte, Kathy Edin (Chair), and William Julius Wilson. Sarah's dissertation investigated "A Relationship Legacy: The Intergenerational Transmission of Marriage and Divorce."

Richard Mora | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

Richard Mora displays the Harvard dissertation acceptance certificate at the conclusion of his September 2008 defense for the Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy. Richard, whose dissertation is titled "Masculine Aspirations: Latino Adolescent Boys and Collective Hegemonic Masculinity," is shown here with committee members Kathy Edin and William Julius Wilson (Chair). Ann Arnette Ferguson of Smith College also served on Richard's dissertation committee. Richard is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Occidental College.

Bikila Ochoa | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

Bikila Ochoa received his Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy in 2009 and is now a J.D. candidate at University of Pennsylvania Law School ('11). Bikila is shown here defending his dissertation, "'We're Just Trying to Teach Them to be Human Beings in an Unjust World': Choice, Individual Responsibility, and Conflict in a Juvenile Re-entry Program." William Julius Wilson (Chair), Rob Sampson, and Elijah Anderson (Yale University) served on Bikila's dissertation committee.

María Rendón | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

María Rendón, recipient of a Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, poses for family photos with her mother at Commencement. María is a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of California, Berkeley (2009-2011). Her doctoral dissertation examined "Second Generation Optimism and the Reproduction of a Working Class: The Relevance of the Urban Context in the School and Work Trajectories of Mexican-Origin Young Adult Males." Mary Waters (Chair), William Julius Wilson, Xavier de Souza-Briggs (MIT), and Robert Sampson served on María's dissertation committee.

Scott Winship | Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy, 2009

Scott Winship, shown here at Commencement, received his Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy in 2009 with a dissertation titled, "Has There Been a Great Risk Shift? Trends in Economic Instability Among Working-Age Adults." Christopher Jencks (Chair), William Julius Wilson, and Christopher Winship (no relation) served as Scott's advisers. Scott is is currently Research Manager for the Economic Mobility Project at Pew Charitable Trust in Washington, DC. His blog, The Empiricist Strikes Back, may be read at scottwinship.com.

Congratulations to our 2008 Ph.D.'s

Jason Lakin | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2008

Jason Lakin earned his Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy in 2008. Jason subsequently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health (2008-2009) and is now a program officer with the International Budget Partnership in Washington, DC . Jason's dissertation analyzed "The Possibilities and Limitations of Insurgent Technocratic Reform: Mexico's Popular Health Insurance Program, 2001-2006." Jorge I. Domínguez (Chair), Torben Iversen, and Steven Levitsky served on Jason's committee.

Ryan T. Moore | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2008

Ryan T. Moore became an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis in 2008, and subsequently was named a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of California, Berkeley (2010-2012). Ryan's dissertation, "Political Analysis and Statistical Applications for Social Policy Research," was directed by Gary King (Chair), Torben Iversen, and Kevin M. Quinn (University of California, Berkeley).

Francis X. Shen | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2008

Francis X. Shen received his Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy and currently holds a postdoctoral fellowship with the MacArthur Foundation Law and Neuroscience Project (2009-2011), as well as a Visiting Fellow position with the Vanderbilt University Law School. Francis, shown here with his father at Commencement, completed a doctoral dissertation titled, "Essays in Political Science, Psychology, and Law." While at Harvard, Francis also earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School in the coordinated JD/Ph.D. program. His multidisciplinary dissertation committee included Jennifer Hochschild (Chair), Steven Pinker (Psychology), Jon Hanson (Law), and David Rosenberg (Law).

Congratulations to our 2007 Ph.D.'s

Traci R. Burch | Ph.D. in Government & Social Policy, 2007

Traci Burch, shown here with committee members Sidney Verba, Jennifer Hochschild (Chair), and Gary King, was awarded Harvard University's Robert Noxon Toppan prize for the best essay or dissertation upon a subject of political science for her
dissertation “Punishment and Participation: How Criminal Convictions Threaten American Democracy.” Traci is now Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University and a Research Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Cybelle Fox | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2007

Cybelle Fox is a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology. For the two-year RWJ fellowship period (2007-2009), Cybelle will investigate the role of race and immigration in the politics of American health policy provision, before officially joining the Sociology Department in July 2009. Cybelle is shown here with dissertation committee members William Julius Wilson, Lawrence Bobo, Theda Skocpol, and (not shown) Jennifer Hochschild following the defense of her dissertation, "The Boundaries of Social Citizenship: Race, Immigration, and the American Welfare State, 1900-1950."

Helen B. Marrow | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2007.

Helen B. Marrow celebrated the defense of her dissertation, "Southern Becoming: Immigrant Incorporation and Race Relations in the Rural U.S. South," with committee members William Julius Wilson, Mary Waters (Chair), and Jennifer Hochschild (not shown) in May 2007. Helen subsequently won the American Sociological Association's 2008 dissertation award for best dissertation and was a Robert Wood Johnson Postdoctoral Scholar in Health Policy Research University of California, Berkeley (2008-2010). Helen is now an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tufts University.

Patrick Sharkey | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2007
Patrick Sharkey is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at New York University and an Affiliate faculty member in NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Policy. From 2007-2009, Pat was also a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Columbia University. Pat is shown here with committee members William Julius Wilson, Robert Sampson (Chair), and Christopher Winship, who toasted the defense of Pat's dissertation, "The Enduring Inequality of Race and Place: Racial Inequality in the Neighborhood Environment over the Life Course and across Generations." In 2010, Pat was named one of four new William T. Grant Scholars, a program that identifies exceptional early-career researchers in the social and behavioral sciences.

Vesla M. Weaver | Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy, 2007

Vesla M. Weaver is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, with a joint appointment in the Miller Center for Public Affairs. Vesla is shown here with dissertation committee members Jennifer Hochschild (Chair) and Theda Skocpol following the defense of her dissertation, Frontlash: Race and the Politics of Punishment." Michael Dawson (University of Chicago) also served on Vesla's committee. Vesla's dissertation was subsequently awarded the American Political Science Association’s Section on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Best Dissertation Award (2008).

Christopher Wimer | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2007

Christopher Wimer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford University Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality. Chris, shown here with dissertation committee members William Julius Wilson and Robert Sampson (Chair), defended his dissertation titled, "Successful Childrearing in Diverse Neighborhood Environments: Understanding the Role of Secure, Stable Employment." Annemette Sorensen (Stanford University) also served on Chris's committee.

Congratulations to our 2006 Ph.D.'s

Jal Mehta | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2006

Jal Mehta, shown here with dissertation committee members Jennifer Hochschild, Christopher Jencks (Chair), Theda Skocpol, and Christopher Winship, successfully defended his dissertation, "The Transformation of American Educational Policy, 1980-2001: Ideas and the Rise of Accountability Politics," in September 2006. Jal subsequently received the American Educational Research Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Politics of Education (2008) and the Spencer Foundation's Exemplary Dissertation Award (2010). Jal is currently Assistant Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Martin R. West | Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy, 2006

Martin West became Harvard's first recipient of the Ph.D. in Government and Social Policy, having successfully defended his dissertation, "Politics, Public-Sector Unionism, and Education Policy: Explanations and Evaluations", in September 2006. Present for the dissertation defense were committee members Paul Peterson (Chair), Eric Schickler, and William Howell. Marty went on to serve as an Assistant Professor of Education, Political Science, and Public Policy, Brown University (2006-2009), and is now Assistant Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2009-present).

Wendy D. Roth | Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy, 2006

Wendy D. Roth received her Ph.D. in Sociology & Social Policy in June 2006 and is now Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Wendy celebrated the defense of her dissertation, "Caribbean Race and American Dreams: How Migration Shapes Dominicans' and Puerto Ricans' Racial Identities and Its Impact on Socioeconomic Mobility," in May with committee members Mary Waters (Chair), Peggy Levitt (Wellesley College), Prudence Carter, and Katherine Newman (Princeton University, not pictured). Wendy subsequently won the American Sociological Association's Dissertation Award 2007 for best dissertation.