Dorothy E. Roberts

Dorothy E. Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the Law School, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Department of Sociology. She is the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights and the founding director of the Penn Program on Race, Science & Society. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges law, sociology, and ethics, focusing on racial and gender justice in reproductive rights, child welfare, and science policy.

Roberts' research centers on the structural oppression of Black women and families, particularly through systems of policing, medicine, and child welfare. She critiques the use of race in biomedical research and clinical practice, arguing that race-based medicine perpetuates false biological notions of race and diverts attention from social determinants of health. Her work on reproductive justice examines how Black women's autonomy has been historically violated through forced sterilization, criminalization of pregnancy, and state surveillance. She advocates for an abolitionist framework to dismantle the child welfare system and replace it with community-based support networks.

Her recent publications reflect a consistent focus on the intersections of race, law, and science. Themes include the racialized consequences of intimate partner violence policing, the harms of race-based medical diagnostics, and the structural roots of child removal. Across her scholarship, she calls for a fundamental reimagining of justice—one that centers care, equity, and abolition rather than surveillance and punishment.

Roberts has received numerous honors, including:

• MacArthur Fellowship (2024)
• Election to the National Academy of Medicine
• Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Society of Family Planning Lifetime Achievement Award
• American Psychiatric Association Solomon Carter Fuller Award
• Rutgers University Honorary Doctor of Laws

She has advised and collaborated with major foundations such as the National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and American Council of Learned Societies. Her public scholarship, including TED Talks and media appearances, amplifies the voices of marginalized communities and challenges dominant narratives about race and justice. She is also actively involved in public education through lectures, podcasts, and her forthcoming memoir on interracial marriage and structural racism.

Roberts leads the Penn Program on Race, Science & Society, a research initiative that brings together scholars, activists, and policymakers to examine how scientific and medical practices reproduce racial inequality. The program fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement through symposia, publications, and community partnerships.