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 A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, where he served as director of the

Institute for Research on Poverty The Institute for Research on Poverty is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison dedicated to studying poverty and economic inequality. It was established in March 1966, as a result of an agreement be ...

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 (2010-2016) and now serves as executive officer of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(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 respon ...

(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. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is na ...

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, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

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

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and an M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1968) in sociology from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. His dissertation was ''Family, School, and Neighborhood Factors in Educational Performances in a Metropolitan School System'', supervised by

Otis Dudley Duncan Otis Dudley Duncan (December 2, 1921 in Nocona, Texas – November 16, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California) was "the most important quantitative sociologist in the world in the latter half of the 20th century", according to sociologist Leo Goodma ...

. It was selected by the American Sociological Association for publication in the Arnold and Caroline Rose Monograph series, appearing as ''Socioeconomic background and educational performance'' (1971).

Career

From 1967–1969 Hauser was on the faculty of the department of sociology and anthropology at Brown University. 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. Se ...

status attainment Status attainment is the process of one attaining one's positions in society, or class. Status attainment is affected by both achieved factors, such as educational attainment, and ascribed factors, such as family income. The theory of status atta ...

, 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 1980-2010, 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 (also known as NASEM or the National Academies) are the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses: (1) as an umbrel ...

. He was the Executive Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine from 2010-2016. 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 p ...

* 2005, Member,

* 2003, Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Teaching of Sociology, American Sociological Association * 1998, Fellow,

National Academy of Education The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elect ...

* 1986, Inaugural Paul F. Lazarsfeld award in research methods, American Sociological Association * 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 (abbreviation: AAA&S) 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 ...

* 1977, American Association for the Advancement of Science * Fellow,

Gerontological Society of America The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology: medical, biological, psychological and social. History and organization The Gerontological Society ...

* 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 continuousl ...

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