School of Social Science
Founded in 1973, the School of Social Science is devoted to critical approaches to social research, both theoretical and empirical, and featuring multidisciplinary, multi-method, and international perspectives. Each year the School invites approximately 20 scholars working on a variety of topics to pursue their individual research within a rich context of intellectual discussion and exchange. Scholars are drawn from across the fields of social science and, occasionally, from the humanities as well.
There is an all-School weekly seminar for work-in-progress presentations, and several informal venues for sharing work and ideas. The School also hosts a theme seminar for which approximately half of the scholars are selected during the application process. The other half work on topics outside the theme and do not participate in the theme seminar.
The theme for 2025-26 is "Digital (In)Equality." For 2026-27, the theme is "Emerging Forces in Global Political Economy." An archive of past themes is available.
Notable from the School
Former Member Martin Gilens elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Former Members Anna Tsing, George Marcus, Michael Brown, and Chantal Mouffe elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Conference in Honor of Didier Fassin
Joan Scott in The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Project 2025’s Quiet Weapon Against Universities"
"One Person, One Vote? The Gap between Representative Equity and Mathematical Equality after Baker v. Carr" published by Member Alma Steingart in the Journal of American History
Digital (In)Equality Collaborative Theme Seminar featured in The InstituteLetter
New paper on "Venture Capital as Male-Lens Investing" from IAS Member Judy Wajcman and coauthors in the Cambridge Journal of Economics
Past Member Hillary Angelo in Dissent on "A New Vision for Public Lands"
Member Annelise Riles in the Chicago Tribune: "The Fed can beat populist demagogues by educating the public"
Member Shobita Parthasarathy in Science: "Repairing trust in science requires a more inclusive understanding of innovation"
Member Molly J. Crockett Receives 2026 Troland Research Award from National Academy of Sciences
Alondra Nelson in Science: “The mirage of AI deregulation”
Past Member Paisley Currah in The New York Review of Books: "The Anti-Trans Playbook"
Alondra Nelson in Science: “An ELSI for AI: Learning from Genetics to Govern Algorithms”