Sharon Sassler received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University in 1995 and joined the faculty at Cornell University in 2005.  She serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Brooks School of Public Policy and is a professor in the Department of Sociology.  A family sociologist and demographer, Sassler’s research examines factors shaping the activities of young adults and their life course transitions into school and work, relationships, and parenthood, and how these transitions vary by gender, race/ethnicity, and social class.  A second stream of research examines the retention and advancement of women and underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations. Her 2017 book, Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships, was the 2018 winner of the Goode Book Award from the American Sociological Association, and she received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2016-2017 from The State University of New York.  She has also held leadership positions in the American Sociological Association and the Population Association of America.

At Cornell, Sassler has taught classes on family (Evolving Families; Modern Romance), inequality (Race & Public Policy), and demography (Population & Public Policy), as well as teaching the Honors Seminar and co-leading the Brooks Success and Careers classes.  Professor Sassler has been involved with the Cornell in Turin program since 2013, teaching Population Controversies in Europe, and also leads an annual two-week experiential program to Denmark.  She is very much looking forward to engaging with the West Campus community!