Robert Mason Hauser is an American sociologist. He is the Vilas Research and Samuel F. Stouffer professor of sociology emeritus at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where he served as director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging. Hauser is known for his work in quantitative sociology, studying issues such as social stratification, social mobility, impacts of education, race and gender, persistence of inequality across generations, and aging. Hauser served as executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), also known as the National Academies, is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the Uni ...

(2010–2016) and now serves as executive officer 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 ...

(2017-).

Early life and education

Robert Mason Hauser was born to Sylvia and Julius Hauser in Chicago, Illinois. His father was an organic chemist with the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA). His uncle, Philip M. Hauser, was a sociologist, demographer, and social statistician. The family moved from Chicago to the

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast (Washington, D.C.), Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue (formerly Good Hope Road) SE and the neighborhood contains commercial and gover ...

neighborhood of Washington, DC, in 1949 and to

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

in 1954. Hauser has a B.A. in economics (1963) from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

and an M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1968) 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 ...

. His dissertation was ''Family, School, and Neighborhood Factors in Educational Performances in a Metropolitan School System'', supervised by Otis Dudley Duncan. It was selected by the

American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fi ...

for publication in the Arnold and Caroline Rose Monograph series, appearing as ''Socioeconomic background and educational performance'' (1971).

Career

From 1967 to 1969 Hauser was on the faculty of the department of sociology and anthropology at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. In 1969 Hauser joined the department of sociology at the

. Robert Hauser became the Vilas Research and Samuel F. Stouffer professor of sociology (now retired) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and served as director of the university's Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging. He worked with William H. Sewell and others to develop the

Wisconsin model The Wisconsin model of socio-economic attainment is a model that describes and explains an individual's social mobility and its economic, social, and psychological determinants. The logistics of this model are primarily attributed to William H. S ...

status attainment Status attainment refers to the process through which individuals achieve their positions within society, including their social class. This process is influenced by both ''achieved factors'', such as educational attainment and career accomplis ...

, described as "paradigmatic in its influence on an entire subfield of the discipline." Hauser joined the project in 1969 and led the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) from 1980 to 2010, working closely with his wife, research scientist Taissa S. Hauser Hauser has also served on several committees of the

United States National Research Council The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), also known as the National Academies, is a congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name i ...

. He was the executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the

from 2010 to 2016. He became executive officer of the

as of June 12, 2017.

Research

Hauser has developed and used statistical methodology and data analysis techniques for the study of educational effects. Hauser's research examines trends in educational progression and social mobility in the US due to race, ethnicity and gender. He has studied the effects of families on social and economic inequality, and changes in socioeconomic standing, health, and well-being across the life course through the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. He examines and critiques the use of educational assessment as a policy tool.

Awards and honors

* 2008, Fellow,

American Educational Research Association The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and ...

* 2005, Member,

* 2003, Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Teaching of Sociology,

* 1998, Fellow, National Academy of Education * 1986, Inaugural Paul F. Lazarsfeld award in research methods,

* 1984. Fellow,

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

* 1984, Elected,

American Academy of Arts & 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 F ...

* 1977,

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 ...

* Fellow, Gerontological Society of America * Member,

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1839, and is the second-oldest continuous ...

Selected bibliography

* * * * * * *

References

External links

Biographical sketch
Research proposal
Curriculum Vitae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauser, Robert M. American demographers American sociologists Fellows of the American Statistical Association Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences University of Chicago alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Living people Brown University faculty Members of the American Philosophical Society 1942 births