UT Austin Sociology

Sociology's Victoria Dominguez-Edington is being featured as a 2026 SXSW Mentor! As a mentor for the Startup track, Victoria will meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs interested in learning more about the startup fundraising process. schedule.sxsw.com/2026/events/PP…

Dr. Cavanagh and Dr. Crosnoe have published a new book, The Journey into Adulthood in Uncertain Times! They analyzed survey data from over five decades to assess whether young people today are either refusing or failing to grow up. tinyurl.com/4nc64ex5

Sociology's Professor Sierra-Arévalo wrote the cover story for the October issue of Texas Monthly! The long-form article, "The Green Beret Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight," profiles Tim Kennedy, a veteran and MMA fighter turned manosphere influencer. tinyurl.com/4xywyv59

Exciting news from one of our Sociology PhD alums! Check out her new book 🎓📘 Congrats on this accomplishment!

Congrats to Associate Professor Jordan Conwell on receiving the Early Career Award from ASA’s Sociology of Education section. This award recognizes scholars early in their careers who have made outstanding contributions to the field of sociology of education. Kudos, Dr. Conwell!

🎉Big Congratulations to CAPS Director Debra Umberson on being selected as the recipient of the Gerontological Society Association's 2025 Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) Section Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award.

We’re excited to announce Dr. Becky Pettit as the new Director of Undergraduate Research for the College of Liberal Arts starting Aug. 15, 2025! She’ll lead major initiatives to expand and unify undergrad research. Learn more: liberalarts.utexas.edu/sociology/news… Congrats, Dr. Pettit!

ICYMI: Past PAA President Jennifer Glass gave her Presidential Address at #PAA2025 "The Motherlode: Why Most American Mothers End Up Financially Supporting Their Children" View the recording now on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/l2MGAA7Z5t4?si… @UTAustinSoc @UTPopCenter

Dr. Nina Palmo has been awarded the Silver Spurs Centennial Teaching Fellowship #1 for 2024–25, recognizing her contributions to teaching in the College of Liberal Arts at UT Austin. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Palmo!

We are proud to announce that Dr. Stephanie Osbakken on receiving the 2025 Harry Ransom Award for Teaching Excellence. This award recognizes the consistent level of excellence in teaching. Congratulations, Dr. Osbakken!

Congrats to first-year doctoral student Garam Yang on winning a poster award in the Health and Health Behavior session at PAA2025! Her poster: "When Friendship Hurts: Socioeconomic Status of Friends and Mental Health Consequences Among Korean Adolescents."

We are pleased to announce that KJ Davidson-Turner has been selected as a 2025 Dean’s Distinguished Graduate. She is among the third cohort of Ph.D. students nominated for this high honor. Congratulations!

We are proud to announce that Senior Administrative Associate Val Goldstein is a 2025 President's Outstanding Staff Award Recipient! We are grateful to have her as a part of our team. Please join us in congratulating Val!

Professor Shannon Cavanagh was featured in The Guardian’s coverage of recent claims made by RFK Jr. regarding Black Americans' immune systems. Read here: theguardian.com/us-news/2025/f… We appreciate and congratulate Professor Cavanagh for sharing her expertise on this important issue.

Dr. Steph Osbakken was recently featured in a UT News article, A Guide to Cancerland. Dr. Osbakken draws on her personal experience to teach students about the social and cultural complexities of cancer. Read the full story here: news.utexas.edu/2025/02/20/a-g…

Join us in celebrating UT SOC Grad Victoria Dominguez-Edington on her feature as a 2025 SXSW Mentor for startups! Victoria will meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs interested in learning more about startup fundraising. Details on Victoria's session here: schedule.sxsw.com/2025/speakers/…

Congratulations to our Administrative Manager, Marshall McCready, on receiving the 2024 College of Liberal Arts Staff Excellence Award! 🏆 This award honors the efforts and contributions of outstanding staff members across the college. Kudos, Marshall - well deserved!🎉

Congratulations to our grad student Daniela Sánchez Lopez was awarded a Beca Crónica – a Spanish Creative Writing initiative! For those reading in Spanish, dive into her piece and join us in celebrating this incredible accomplishment. You can find it here: revistaanfibia.com/beca-cronica-e…

Happy Halloween! 🎃 We are having our second ever sociology department Halloween Battle Royale ⚔️ Different wings of the department are competing for who has the best decorations. It's looking pretty spooky in here! 👻

Congrats to Ph.D. student Asya Saydam for receiving the ASA Travel Award this summer! 🎉 Her journey to the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting was a chance to share knowledge and new directions in research and practice. Here's to many more milestones ahead!