Recent News

Sound Transit Project Group 2026
UW Sociology is proud to be working with Sound Transit to improve local transportation services with the hope to make Seattle public transportation safer and more user friendly. A research team from UW Sociology, including faculty Dr. Kyle Crowder and Dr. Nathalie Williams, 14 undergraduate students and 5 graduate students, has been working with Sound Transit partners to improve Seattle…
Sarah Quinn (Left) and Zack Almquist (Right) receive endowed professorships
Endowed professorships are awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding potential for scholarly and professional contributions to the field of sociology.  Recommendations are made by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and subject to approval by the President and Board of Regents.Sarah Quinn is the new S. Frank Miyamoto Professor in Sociology…
2026-27 Graduate Student Cohort
Daniela Kızıldağ earned a BA in Philosophy and Sociology, and her MA in Sociology from Bogazici University in Turkey.Daniela’s current research interests explore whether the implementation of energy transition projects exhibits distinct socioeconomic patterns that reflect structural inequalities, and investigate the environmental vulnerabilities and communities’ adaptive capacity…
Undergraduate Research Assistant Vicky Chen
Vicky Chen spent her summer on Seattle public transit—not as a commuter, but as one of 14 undergraduate research assistants working for the Department of Sociology's collaboration with Sound Transit. The project focuses on the Link light rail, investigating why people might avoid public transit and how to make informed interventions to make Seattle public transit more safe and usable. In 2025,…
Brandon Morande, UW Sociology Graduate Student
The Department of Sociology is pleased to announce that graduate student Brandon Morande has been chosen for the University of Washington Graduate School's 2026 Distinguished Thesis Award for his thesis, "Policing Homelessness: Enforcing Neighborhood Change."This award recognizes outstanding and exceptional scholarship and research at the master's level and is awarded based on four criteria:…
Photo of Sara Curran, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology (CSDE)
In recent years, most big and expensive cities have been losing kids as families have been struggling to cover the cost of living. However, the opposite is happening in Seattle and Washington D.C. According to the Wall Street Journal article, “Seattle and D.C. Are Bucking the Trend by Attracting Families With Kids,” the population of children under 18…
yuanxi_li_sociology_deanmedalist
The College of Arts & Sciences’ 2026 Dean’s Medalists have been busy. During their time at the UW, they have co-authored official reports on homelessness, presented humanities research at conferences, published in academic journals, designed gallery exhibitions, explored the far reaches of the universe, and mentored their peers — all while maintaining stellar grades.Selected from nominations…
Photo of Adrian Raftery, Professor Emeritus, UW Dept of Sociology
Adrian Raftery, Professor Emeritus of Statistics and Sociology, recently received the International Federation of Classification Societies 2026 International Medal for Outstanding Research Achievements in Classification. The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of an individual scientist who has made fundamental contributions to the advancement of Classification,…
a crowd watches a World Cup match on a large screen at the Seattle Waterfront
The World Cup: A Sociological PerspectiveContributions from Leanne Liu Quach, Filmawit Mekonen, Will Russell, and Jennifer Wheeler UW Sociology students spent Seattle’s World Cup summer celebrating at watch parties and complaining about the traffic like most Seattleites. For students in Professor Kyle Crowder’s Sociology of Sport class, though, the World Cup was also an opportunity…
Come curious. Leave inspired. Wherever you are, the University of Washington offers opportunities to learn and connect with the ideas, people, and research shaping our world. This summer, visit campus for the latest exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, or join us from anywhere through recorded lectures, podcasts, virtual experiences, and more. As a…