Benjamin H. Bradlow

Benjamin H. Bradlow is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, jointly appointed in the School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Sociology. He is also a Visiting Researcher at the Southern Center for Inequality Studies at the University of Witwatersrand and a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar in the 'Humanity's Urban Future' program.

• Education:
  • PhD in Sociology, Brown University
  • MCP in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • BA in History (with high honors), Swarthmore College

Bradlow's research bridges climate change, urbanization, technological transitions, and democratic challenges globally. His award-winning book Urban Power examines urban public goods distribution in São Paulo and Johannesburg, while his current project The Climate Hinge analyzes green industrial shifts in Brazil and South Africa's automobile sectors.

His work has been funded by major grants from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, National Science Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, Fulbright Program, Climate Social Science Network, and Brazilian Studies Association. He contributes regularly to public-facing outlets like Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, and Bloomberg’s CityLab.

• Scientific Awards:
  • CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar
  • Award for Urban Power (Princeton University Press, 2024)

Prior to Princeton, Bradlow was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Harvard University. Before academia, he worked as a researcher/organizer with Shack/Slum Dwellers International and as a journalist in Johannesburg and Philadelphia.