Altis Lee Ellis (born March 1, 1942) is an American sociologist who was a professor of

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

Minot State University Minot State University (MSU or MiSU) is a public university in Minot, North Dakota, United States. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, MSU evolved into a university in 1987 and is currently the state's third-largest, offering undergraduate and ...

from 1976 to 2007. He was also an assistant and associate professor there from 1976 to 2009, after which he served as a visiting professor at the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

from 2010 to 2012.

Education

Ellis grew up on a farm near

Iola, Kansas Iola () is the county seat of Allen County, Kansas, United States. The city is situated along the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,396. It is named in honor o ...

. He received his B.A. in sociology from

Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regen ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in 1966, where he went on to receive his M.S. in sociology in 1970. He then received his Ph.D. in

criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

in 1983.

Research

Ellis is known for researching the potential biological roots of

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

, and organized a conference on the subject that occurred in May 1995. He has also studied the potential for the use of thyroid and obesity medications during pregnancy to increase the odds of children being homosexual. He has also studied numerous other topics, such as the relationships between obesity in women and the number of children they give birth to, the link between left-handedness and mortality, and the effect one's genes have on the career they end up working in.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Lee Living people 1942 births People from Allen County, Kansas Pittsburg State University alumni Florida State University alumni Academic staff of the University of Malaya American criminologists Minot State University faculty