معرفی
Laura Tach is Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at Cornell University's Brooks School of Public Policy and Department of Policy Analysis and Management. She co-directs Cornell Project 2Gen, a research hub at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research focused on supporting vulnerable caregivers and children through integrated policy and practice solutions.
Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy from Harvard University (2010), preceded by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar.
Tach's research examines urban poverty, family demography, and neighborhood inequality through mixed-methods approaches. She investigates how public policies interact with family dynamics and neighborhood conditions to reproduce or mitigate inequality, with particular focus on housing interventions, welfare reform, and two-generation approaches to poverty alleviation. Her work bridges sociological theory with actionable policy insights.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with place-based inequality, family complexity in low-income contexts, and the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage. Key thematic clusters include opioid crisis impacts on families, historical redlining effects, intra-household financial dynamics, and innovative two-generation policy frameworks.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar
Tach leads significant grant-funded research, including a multi-year William T. Grant Foundation project examining opioid abuse and child maltreatment in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Her work emphasizes translating research into practice through Project 2Gen, which collaborates with policymakers and practitioners to develop family-centered interventions. She has received substantial funding for studies on housing policy impacts and neighborhood change.
As co-director of Cornell Project 2Gen, Tach oversees a multidisciplinary team integrating sociology, public policy, and translational research. The initiative partners with community organizations and government agencies to implement and evaluate two-generation approaches that simultaneously address caregiver and child needs within vulnerable families.
