Barbara Entwisle

Barbara Entwisle is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), holding adjunct roles in Geography and the Environment, Energy, and Ecology Program. She is a Fellow of the Carolina Population Center (CPC) and former Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC-Chapel Hill (2010–2016). Her research focuses on social demography, migration, population-environment interactions, and quantitative methods.

Education: Ph.D., Brown University (1980). Professional Background: Extensive leadership in academia including CPC Director (2002–2010), and national roles such as President of the Population Association of America (2007) and Sociological Research Association (2015).

Research emphasizes climate migration, health data linkage, and agent-based modeling. Recent work includes studies on fuel use in Zambia, electronic health records integration, and climate-driven migration in Thailand. Her 2020s research highlights interdisciplinary approaches linking demographic data with environmental and health systems.

Awards: AAAS Fellow (2003), multiple mentoring awards including NIH MENTOR Award and seven graduate student accolades (most recent 2024). Grants: Oversaw $1B annual research portfolio as Vice Chancellor.

Mentoring: Supervised 17 PhD students and 9 postdocs, with advisees securing R1 faculty positions. Active in policy through roles at NASEM, NSF, and NIH advisory committees.

Labs/Teams: Carolina Population Center, agent-based modeling collaborations in Thailand, and interdisciplinary health-environment networks.