Harriet Anne Zuckerman (born July 19, 1937) is an American sociologist and professor emerita of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Zuckerman specializes in the

sociology of science The sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) is the study of science as a social activity, especially dealing with "the social conditions and effects of science, and with the social structures and processes of scientific activity." The sociolo ...

. She is known for her work on the social organization of science, scientific elites, the accumulation of advantage, the

Matthew effect The Matthew effect, sometimes called the Matthew principle or cumulative advantage, is the tendency of individuals to accrue social or economic success in proportion to their initial level of popularity, friends, and wealth. It is sometimes summar ...

, and the phenomenon of

multiple discovery The concept of multiple discovery (also known as simultaneous invention) is the hypothesis that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors. The concept o ...

. Zuckerman served as the Senior Vice President of the

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, commonly known as the Mellon Foundation, is a New York City-based private foundation with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969 merger ...

from 1991 to 2010, overseeing the Foundation's grant program in support of research, libraries and universities. She is known as an authority for her studies of educational programs, and her support of research universities, scholarship in the humanities, graduate educational programs, research libraries, and other centers for advanced study.

Education

Harriet Zuckerman received her A.B. degree from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

in 1958 and her Ph.D. from

in 1965. She held a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship from 1958 to 1959.

Career

Zuckerman was a lecturer in sociology at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

in New York City from 1964 to 1965. She returned to Columbia University an assistant professor of sociology in 1965, where she served as Project Director of the Bureau of Applied Social Research. She became an associate professor in 1972, and a Full Professor in 1978 . She chaired the Sociology department from 1978 to 1982. In 1992, she retired from Columbia University, becoming a professor emerita. Zuckerman served as president of the

Society for Social Studies of Science The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is a non-profit scholarly association devoted to the social studies of science and technology (STS). It was founded in 1975 and it has grown considerably over the years. In 2024, over 3,000 people ...

in 1990–1991. In 1989, she joined the

as a senior advisor, becoming the Senior Vice President in 1991. She retired from the Vice Presidency in May 2010.

Work

Zuckerman's research has focused on the social organization of science and scholarship. She is the author of the 1977 book, ''Scientific Elite: Nobel Laureates in the United States'', which has been credited with defining the direction of work in the field for the next two decades. As a basis for her research, Zuckerman used a database to examine more than 60,000 academics, in a demonstration of the self-reinforcing dynamics of American academic culture. Zuckerman's findings, particularly her "fundamental notion" of "accumulation of advantage", questioned assumptions about

creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...

, achievement, eminence, and

greatness Greatness is a concept of a state of exceptional superior (hierarchy), superiority affecting a person or wikt:entity, object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be b ...

. The empirical data Zuckerman analyzed, along with work by Robert K. Merton and others, documented ways in which women scientists were "systematically disadvantaged in educational attainment, productivity, funding, lab space, and recognition". Zuckerman and others have carried out subsequent work on prizes and other rewards; their impact on productivity, collaboration, and authorship; and on the effectiveness of interventions whose intention is to support women and members of other underrepresented populations. ''Scientific Elite'' is an introduction to the phenomenon of

in the fields of

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

. Zuckerman further examined conditions and processes influencing the introduction and adoption of scientific ideas in later work. In 1978, she introduced the idea of "postmature scientific discovery". The sociologist of science Robert K. Merton later credited Zuckerman as a co-author of his work on the

, writing '“It is now 973belatedly evident to me that I drew upon the interview and other materials of the Zuckerman study to such an extent that, clearly, the paper should have appeared under joint authorship.” The overlooking of Zuckerman's contribution can be considered an example of a pattern which she noted, which has been nicknamed the Matilda effect by science historian Margaret Rossiter. Zuckerman married Merton in 1993.

Bibliography

* * * * *
Harriet Zuckerman papers, 1887-2014, bulk 1963-1992
at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, New York, NY

Awards

Zuckerman is a Fellow of both the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

(1979) and the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(1985) and a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

(1981–1982), among others. She is also a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

References