Elizabeth Armstrong

Elizabeth Armstrong is the Sherry B. Ortner Collegiate Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, where she joined the faculty in 2009. She holds affiliations with the Department of Sociology, Organizational Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and multiple centers including the Injury Prevention Center and Poverty Solutions. Her research focuses on social inequality, gender, sexuality, and the organizational dynamics of higher education.

Armstrong earned a double major in sociology and computer science from the University of Michigan in 1988, followed by a Ph.D. in Sociology from UC-Berkeley. She previously taught at Indiana University-Bloomington (2000-2009) and held fellowships at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute (2007-2008) and Stanford University’s CASBS (2018-2019). Her work examines intersections of gender, class, race, and sexuality within institutional structures.

• Awards: Carnegie Fellowship (2019), CASBS Fellowship (2018)
• Key Research Themes: University organizational behavior, systemic inequality, gender-based violence prevention

Armstrong’s scholarship bridges cultural sociology and institutional analysis, with a focus on how universities reproduce or challenge social hierarchies. She has contributed to initiatives addressing sexual assault policies and poverty solutions.