Jennifer Lundquist

Jennifer Lundquist is a Professor of Sociology and Senior Associate Dean of Research in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her scholarship focuses on racial, ethnic, and gender inequalities across institutional settings including the workplace, online dating platforms, and the U.S. military. She employs mixed methods ranging from big data analysis to qualitative interviews, often examining how institutions perpetuate or mitigate disparities.

Education

• Joint Ph.D. in Sociology & Demography, University of Pennsylvania (2004)

Research Interests: Racial hierarchies in digital intimacy, military's role in health/family inequality, institutional impacts on welfare systems, and demographic analysis of life course patterns. Her work frequently addresses how technology reshapes social divisions.

Recent Publication Trends: 2018-2025 articles focus on digital platforms' influence on racial inequality, military's mitigating effects on segregation, and institutional impacts on intimate relationships. Key subfields include algorithmic bias, military family policy, and criminal record discrimination.

Scientific Awards

• Best Article of the Year for Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families (2015)

Grants: Funded by National Science Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and Humboldt Foundation. Research has been featured in Time, Newsweek, Washington Post, New York Times, and NPR.

Leadership Roles: Senior Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development (UMass), Co-Principal Investigator for Online College Social Life Survey (OCSLS2.0), and textbook coauthor of Demography: The Study of Human Population (4th ed).