Rina Bliss

Rina Bliss is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, specializing in sociogenomics, race and genetics, and social justice. She holds a PhD from the New School for Social Research and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Brown University’s BioMed and Cogut Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research critically examines genetic determinism, racial classifications, and the societal implications of genomic science.

Bliss is the award-winning author of books including Rethinking Intelligence (2023), Race Decoded (2012), and the forthcoming What’s Real About Race? (2025). Her work challenges assumptions about genetic influences on intelligence, race, and health disparities. She serves as a consultant to institutions like the National Academies of Science and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, advocating for socially responsible science.

Her research has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, and global media. Bliss’s scholarly contributions span sociological theory, biopolitics, and interdisciplinary science. She actively addresses audiences worldwide on topics like health equity, education, and technology ethics.

• Affiliations: Human Genome Synthesis Project, UCSF Affiliate, UC Berkeley Center for Social Medicine
• Grants: Andrew Mellon Foundation, National Science Foundation
• Awards: Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Race Decoded

Bliss’s work bridges academia and public policy, emphasizing the need to counteract harmful stereotypes and promote equity in science and society.