Systemwide honor highlights outstanding leadership in research, teaching and service
BOSTON — Joya Misra, Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and Director of the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded the 2022 Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair for her research and teaching focused on social inequality, including inequalities by gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, citizenship, parenthood status, and educational level. Her work is aimed at developing equitable solutions that prioritize societal needs.
Established in 2005 by UMass Lowell alumnus and former senior director of Goldman Sachs Roy J. Zuckerberg, the Zuckerberg Chair/Prize recognizes faculty and staff across the 5-campus UMass system for leadership in helping the university accomplish its goals.
The two-year, $100,000 award provides $30,000 toward research and service activities and a $20,000 stipend for a total of $50,000 each fiscal year.
“Roy Zuckerberg’s impactful philanthropy is making a difference in people’s lives,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “Roy’s leadership and commitment to UMass students and faculty embody the true spirit of this award. Thanks to his tremendous support, our talented faculty and staff are being recognized for their distinguished service to the University of Massachusetts and the Commonwealth.”
“I commend Dr. Misra for her outstanding contributions to the university,” said President Meehan. “Through her impressive work at UMass Amherst, she is developing the actual actions we can take to create more equitable societies and workplaces.”
Professor Misra’s work primarily falls into the subfields of race/gender/class, political sociology, work & labor, family, and welfare states. She is also a methodologist, who uses a wide variety of qualitative, quantitative, and comparative methods.
She was recently elected the 115th President of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
Her work has appeared in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Gender & Society, Social Forces, Social Problems, and numerous other professional journals and edited volumes. She edited the journal Gender & Society, a top-ranked journal in both Gender Studies and Sociology, from 2011-2015.
She holds a Master of Arts and a PhD in Sociology from Emory University.
The Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowment Leadership Prize is presented bi-annually to a UMass faculty or staff member who leads by serving, by giving, and by pointing the way.
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