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Faculty Experts

IPR faculty experts represent a cross section of the University's schools and many of its departments. 

If you need assistance in finding an expert, get in touch and we'll connect you with an expert on your topic of interest.

We have more than 40 faculty fellows who contribute to our core research areas and participate in IPR events

Faculty Fellows
Tabitha Bonilla

Tabitha Bonilla

Associate Professor of Human Development and Social Policy
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Human trafficking
  • Campaign promises 
  • Political messaging
  • Political representation
  • Voting behavior
IPR Bio
Anthony Chen

Anthony Chen

Associate Professor of Sociology and of Political Science (by courtesy)
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • American political development and public policy since the New Deal
  • Politics of social policy, civil rights, and business-government relations
  • Affirmative action in college admissions
IPR Bio
Edith Chen

Edith Chen

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Chair, Professor of Psychology, and Co-Director of the Foundations of Health Research Center
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • The biological and psychological mechanisms associated with poverty and poor health in children
  • Resilience in youth—why some who confront adversity stay in good health
  • The consequences of upward mobility for the health of minority youth
IPR Bio
Daniel Galvin

Daniel Galvin

Professor of Political Science
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:


  • Low-wage workers
  • New forms of worker organization (alt-labor)
  • Labor standards enforcement
  • U.S. politics, American presidency, political parties, American political development
IPR Bio
Jonathan Guryan

Jonathan Guryan

Lawyer Taylor Professor of Education and Social Policy
Chair of IPR’s Program on Education Policy; IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Labor market discrimination
  • The causes and consequences of racial inequality
  • Long-term effects of early life health
IPR Bio
Laurel Harbridge-Yong

Laurel Harbridge-Yong

Professor of Political Science | IPR Associate Director (as of Sept. 1, 2024)
IPR Fellow - On leave 2023–24

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • American politics, primary and general elections, public opinion, and representation
  • Polarization, bipartisanship, compromise, and gridlock in Congress and state legislatures
  • Harassment, threats and violence toward elected officials and the erosion of democratic norms
IPR Bio
Larry V. Hedges

Larry V. Hedges

Board of Trustees Professor of Statistics and Education and Social Policy | Professor of Psychology | Professor of Medical Social Sciences
Co-Director of the STEPP Center; IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Statistical methods for meta-analysis
  • Evidence-based methodology for social science research
  • Social distribution of academic achievement in America
  • Educational policies and practices
IPR Bio
Simone Ispa-Landa

Simone Ispa-Landa

Associate Professor of Human Development and Social Policy and Associate Professor of Sociology
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Race
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Criminal records
  • Stigma
IPR Bio
Christopher Kuzawa

Christopher Kuzawa

John D. MacArthur Professor of Anthropology
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Influence of intrauterine and early postnatal environments on development and long-term health
  • Social disparities and health
  • Male reproductive ecology and the psychobiology of social relationships
IPR Bio
Thomas McDade

Thomas McDade

Carlos Montezuma Professor of Anthropology
IPR Fellow | Director of IPR's Cells to Society: The Center on Social Disparities and Health

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Long-term effects of early environments, with an emphasis on inflammation and health
  • Health disparities
  • Biomarkers for population-based research
  • Social and cultural contexts of stress and health
IPR Bio
Andrew V. Papachristos

Andrew V. Papachristos

IPR Director and John G. Searle Professor | Professor of Sociology | Director of the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS)
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • The diffusion of crime and violence in social networks and urban neighborhoods
  • Gun violence and gun violence prevention
  • Street gangs
  • Neighborhood effects
  • Urban poverty and inequality
  • Policing and police reform in the United States
IPR Bio
Morton Schapiro

Morton Schapiro

President Emeritus and Professor, Northwestern University
IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Economics of higher education
  • College financing and student aid
  • Measuring college success
IPR Bio
Elizabeth Tipton

Elizabeth Tipton

Professor of Statistics
Co-Director of the STEPP Center; IPR Fellow

Research Areas:

Research Topics:

  • Statistical methods for meta-analysis
  • Evidence-based methodology for education and psychology research
  • Design and analysis of field experiments
IPR Bio

Our more than 120 faculty associates and adjuncts, listed below with links to their biographical pages in their respective departments and schools, are key participants in our research-based community.

Faculty AssociatesResearch Areas
Ronald Ackermann

Ronald Ackermann

Department: General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy, Social Disparities and Health
Poverty, Race and Inequality, Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
Social Disparities and Health
Crystal Clark

Crystal Clark

Department: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Cynthia Coburn

Cynthia Coburn

Department: Human Development and Social Policy
Jeannette Colyvas

Jeannette Colyvas

Department: Human Development and Social Policy/Learning Sciences
Child, Adolescent and Family Studies, Education Policy
Noshir Contractor

Noshir Contractor

Department: Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences
Joe Feinglass

Joe Feinglass

Department: General Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
Social Disparities and Health
Claudia Haase

Claudia Haase

Department: Human Development and Social Policy
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy
Jessica Hullman

Jessica Hullman

Department: Computer Science and Journalism
Kylie Jiwon Hwang

Kylie Jiwon Hwang

Department: Management & Organizations
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy, Poverty, Race and Inequality
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy
Kristen Knutson

Kristen Knutson

Department: Neurology and Preventive Medicine
Poverty, Race and Inequality
Molly Losh

Molly Losh

Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Soledad McGrath

Soledad McGrath

Department: Institute for Policy Research
Quinn Mulroy

Quinn Mulroy

Department: Human Development and Social Policy
Ivuoma Ngozi Onyeador

Ivuoma Ngozi Onyeador

Department: Management and Organizations
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy, Poverty, Race and Inequality
Mary Pattillo

Mary Pattillo

Department: Sociology/African American Studies
Child, Adolescent and Family Studies, Education Policy, Poverty, Race and Inequality, Social Disparities and Health
Child, Adolescent and Family Studies, Poverty, Race and Inequality, Social Disparities and Health
Urban Policy and Community Development
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy
Teresa Eckrich Sommer

Teresa Eckrich Sommer

Department: Institute for Policy Research
Child, Adolescent and Family Studies, Poverty, Race and Inequality
James Spillane

James Spillane

Department: Human Development, Social Policy and Learning Sciences
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
Kimberly R. Marion Suiseeya

Kimberly R. Marion Suiseeya

Department: Political Science
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy
Linda Teplin

Linda Teplin

Department: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education Policy, Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
David Uttal

David Uttal

Department: Psychology & Education and Social Policy
Social Disparities and Health

Our community of scholars also includes faculty emeriti who continue to play a role in the institute and its activities. Use the links below to view their biographical pages in their respective departments and schools.

Henry Binford

Professor Emeritus of History

Research Areas: 

  • 19th century American history
  • Urbanization and city growth

DEPARTMENT BIO

P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale

Professor Emerita of Human Development and Social Policy

Research Areas: 

  • Two-generation programs that promote low-income parents' and their children's education simultaneously
  • How social policy issues affect family functioning and the development of children, youth, and adults
  • Social disparities and health and wellbeing

IPR BIO

Fay Lomax Cook

Professor Emerita of Human Development and Social Policy

Research Areas: 

  • Public opinion and social policy
  • Politics of public policy 
  • Public deliberation 
  • Dynamics of public and elite support for social programs

IPR BIO

Thomas D. Cook

Professor Emeritus of Sociology and IPR Fellow Emeritus

Research Areas: 

  • Law and social sciences
  • Criminal law
  • Legal profession

DEPARTMENT BIO

Jack Doppelt

Professor Emeritus of Journalism

Research Areas: 

  • Media law and ethics
  • Reporting of legal and immigrant affairs
  • Social justice journalism

DEPARTMENT BIO

Alice Eagly

James Padilla Emerita Chair of Arts and Sciences | Professor of Psychology Emerita

Research Areas: 

  • Psychology of gender and attitudes 
  • Changes in gender attitudes 
  • Women and leadership

IPR BIO

John Heinz

Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Law

Research Areas: 

  • Law and social sciences
  • Criminal law
  • Legal profession

DEPARTMENT BIO

Barton Hirsch

Professor Emeritus, Human Development and Social Policy

Research Areas: 

  • Program development, implementation, and evaluation in relation to adolescents

DEPARTMENT BIO

Paul Hirsch

Professor Emeritus of Management & Organizations

Research Areas: 

  • Organizational Change
  • Organizational Culture
  • Ethics, Corporate Misbehavior
  • Restructuring

DEPARTMENT BIO

Donna Leff

Professor Emerita of Journalism

Research Areas: 

  • Science and medical reporting 
  • Investigative reporting
  • Urban issues

DEPARTMENT BIO

Dan Lewis

Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Social Policy

Research Areas: 

  • Welfare reform
  • Community reactions to crime
  • Mental health deinstitutionalization
  • Chicago school decentralization
  • Civic engagement

DEPARTMENT BIO

Daniel O'Keefe

Emeritus Professor of Communication Studies

Research Areas: 

  • Public Persuasion and Opinion 

DEPARTMENT BIO

Benjamin Page

Gordon Scott Fulcher Professor Emeritus of Decision Making

Research Areas: 

  • American political development
  • Comparative historical analysis
  • Public opinion
  • Political communication
  • Political participation

DEPARTMENT BIO

Wesley G. Skogan

Professor Emeritus of Political Science

Research Areas:

  • Police organization and innovation
  • Community policing
  • Impact of crime on communities and families
  • Community-based public security
  • Immigration, crime, and homeland security

DEPARTMENT BIO

Bruce Spencer

Professor of Statistics

Research Areas:

  • Statistical decision theory for statistical agencies
  • Statistical sampling in networks

DEPARTMENT BIO

Seth Stein

William Deering Professor Emeritus

Research Areas:

  •  Eearthquake hazard mitigation science and policy
  • Boundary processes and deformation within the lithosphere
  • Plate tectonics
  • Space geodesy

WEBSITE

Burton Weisbrod

Cardiss Collins Professor of Economics Emeritus

Research Areas:

  • Performance Measurement in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors

DEPARTMENT BIO