Joseph A. Renow

Joseph A. Renow is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Illinois Tech's Lewis College of Science and Letters. His research focuses on the intersection of expertise, society, and spatial environments, particularly how physical spaces like universities, laboratories, hospitals, and museums shape the production and circulation of knowledge. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago, alongside an M.A. and B.S. in related fields.

Key research interests include the socio-political dimensions of sites where expertise is practiced, such as how hospitals and clinics influence decisions about disease prioritization. He critiques how material environments act as 'invisible agents' in shaping scientific and societal outcomes. Professional affiliations include the American Sociological Association and the Society for Social Studies of Science.

Prior projects examined libraries, archaeological sites, and museums as sites of knowledge production. Current work extends this analysis to healthcare spaces, interrogating how spatial allocations reflect and reinforce societal values. Contact: jrenow@iit.edu.