Robert Crosnoe

Robert Crosnoe is the Rapoport Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, with primary appointments in the Department of Sociology, Population Research Center, and Department of Psychology. Previously, he served as Senior Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Chair of the Department of Sociology. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the Carolina Population Center and the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Crosnoe's research focuses on human development, education, family, and health, with particular attention to children, adolescents, and young adults from diverse socioeconomic and immigration backgrounds. His work examines how social contexts shape developmental trajectories and educational outcomes across the life course. He has authored numerous influential books including The Starting Line: Latinx Children, Texas Schools, and National Debates about Early Education (2020) and Fitting In, Standing Out: Navigating the Social Challenges of High School to Get an Education (2011).

His recent scholarship explores the intersections of growth mindsets, school contexts, and educational achievement, as well as family structure dynamics and their implications for adolescent development and mental health. His publications span multiple high-impact journals including Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Journal of Research on Adolescence.

Among his honors are the Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Interdisciplinary Study of Child Development, election to the Sociological Research Association, and fellowship in the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development. He has served as President of the Society for Research on Adolescence and held editorial positions at Demography and Journal of Marriage and Family.

At UT Austin, Dr. Crosnoe teaches undergraduate courses including Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of the Family, and American Teenagers. He has received the President's Associates Award for Teaching Excellence and the Dad's Association Centennial Teaching Award for his instructional contributions. His research has been supported by major grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Institute of Education Sciences.