Jennifer Malat is an American sociologist. She is dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

Early life and education

Malat was raised in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

and attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

for her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in sociology. She then traveled to Michigan to earn her

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

and PhD in sociology from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Career

Upon receiving her PhD, Malat joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

as an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in 2000. She was promoted to

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

in 2006 and full professor in 2014. Malat's research examines how racial inequity affects health. In 2011, she was appointed director of the University of Cincinnati's Kunz Center for Social Research. Later, Malat co-founded The Cincinnati Project with Earl Wright II in 2013 and served as its founding director until 2020. The project was a research initiative aimed at promoting equity throughout the city. In 2016, Malat served as the first associate dean—later, the title was changed to divisional dean—for the social sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. In 2020, Malat left her position at the University of Cincinnati for

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

. She first served as dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. Then in 2022, she joined the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to support senior leaders' efforts to ensure an inclusive approach to philanthropy at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2023, Malat was appointed dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the

, and she began her term on August 21, 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malat, Jennifer Living people Academics from Minnesota People from Rochester, Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Cincinnati faculty Virginia Commonwealth University faculty American sociologists American women sociologists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women