Matty Lichtenstein

Dr. Matty Lichtenstein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), with affiliate faculty status in the FAU Department of Jewish Studies. Her research examines institutional construction of risk categories in welfare and health governance, focusing on maternal/infant health disparities, child welfare policy, family governance, and religion.

• PhD in Sociology (University of California-Berkeley)
• Postdoctoral Research Associate (Brown University Watson Institute)

Research spans two streams: (1) socioeconomic inequalities in maternal/child welfare systems, including racial disparities in medical reporting of substance-exposed infants and risk discourses in social work, and (2) educational advocacy, organizational change, and religious community dynamics. Her work combines qualitative and mixed-methods research frameworks.

Recent publications address poverty governance in child welfare, racial inequity in child protection, and methodological innovations in textual analysis. Funded through multiple research grants and affiliated with non-profits in maternal health and educational policy work.

• Best Graduate Student Paper Award (ASA Political Sociology Section, 2021)