Paula England named Dean of Social Science

June 10, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Paula England, a world-renowned sociologist, as Dean of Social Science, effective September 1, 2021.

As many of you know, Paula is Professor of Sociology, Silver Professor of Arts and Science, the  current Chair of the Sociology Department at New York University, and a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research at NYU Shanghai. She has also been an affiliated faculty member at NYUAD since 2011.

Paula received her BA in Sociology and Psychology from Whitman College, an MA in Social Sciences and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago. Before coming to NYU, Paula served as a professor at the University of Texas-Dallas, University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Stanford University.

One branch of Paula’s multi-faceted research portfolio concerns gender inequality at work and at home; she has written on the gender gap in pay, occupational segregation, how couples divide housework, and the wage penalty for motherhood. Her more recent work deals with changing family patterns in the US and how they differ by social class. She studies the higher rates of unintended births among disadvantaged single young adults. She is also studying changes in sexual behavior among youth and young adults.

Paula is the author of Households, Employment, and Gender: A Social, Economic, and Demographic view (1986, with George Farkas) and Comparable Worth: Theories and Evidence (1992), and editor or co-editor of Theory on Gender / Feminism on Theory (1993), The New Economic Sociology: Developments in an Emerging Field (2002), Unmarried Couples with Children (2007), and Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America (2011). She has authored countless book chapters and journal articles in the American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Demography, Social Forces, PNAS, and elsewhere.

In university administration, governance, and professional service, Paula was elected as President of the American Sociological Association from 2014 to 2015 and was editor of the American Sociological Review from 1994 to 1996. She has served as the Director and co-Director of Graduate Studies in the Sociology Department at NYU as well as at Northwestern University, the Director of the Women’s Studies Program and the Director of the Alice Paul Center for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Pennsylvania, and as Elected President of the Association of Women Faculty at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Paula’s research contributions have been recognized by prestigious awards and honors. She was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2018. The American Sociological Association recognized Paula with the Jessie Bernard Award for Distinguished Scholarship on Gender in 1999; she received an honorary doctorate from Whitman College in 2007; she was elected the Frances Perkins Fellow by the American Academy of Political and Social Science in 2009; the American Sociological Association's Section on Sociology of the Family recognized her with a Distinguished Career Award in 2010; in 2015 the Population Association of America awarded her the Harriet Presser award for research on gender and demography; and in 2019 the American Sociological Association’s section on Inequality, Poverty and Mobility Section awarded her the Robert M. Hauser Distinguished Scholar Award “to mark...the field’s most fundamental accomplishments.”

With her distinguished academic career, extensive experience in administration, and deep commitment to Social Science at NYU Abu Dhabi, Paula is well positioned to lead and serve successfully the division in its next phase of growth and innovation. As the leadership transition begins, I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to Hannah Brückner for her outstanding leadership during her tenure as Interim Dean of Social Science. Hannah’s steadfast commitment to our institution, her dedication and passion for the division, as well as her advocacy for the faculty, staff, and students in Social Science have been exemplary and I am very thankful for her service to the university.

I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work and outstanding leadership of all members of the search committee and especially its co-chairs, Samreen Malik and Etienne Wasmer, throughout the global search process, which included faculty consultation in the best spirit of shared governance. Many thanks to all members of the division and institutional stakeholders who participated in the process for their feedback, engagement, and dedication to NYU Abu Dhabi.

Please join me in congratulating Paula and welcoming her to the NYU Abu Dhabi community in this new role.

Arlie Petters
Provost