Robert Vargas

Robert Vargas is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of Chicago, specializing in the political economy of policing, urban studies, law, race, and mixed methods. He holds a B.A. from DePaul University (2007) and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University (2012). His research examines how political-economic forces shape urban conditions and city responses to social problems, with a focus on Chicago’s marginalized communities.

His notable works include Wounded City: Violent Turf Wars in a Chicago Barrio (2016) and Uninsured in Chicago: How the Social Safety Net Leaves Latinos Behind (2022). His research has been featured in Social Problems, Criminology, and National Public Radio, among others. Vargas leads the UChicago Justice Project, studying homicide trajectories and policing’s political economy.

Key awards include the NSF CAREER Award, the American Society of Criminology’s New Scholar Award, and the University of Chicago’s David Heoft Award. His work bridges academia and policy, addressing systemic inequities in policing, healthcare access, and urban governance.