CASBS Announces 2020-21 Fellows

The incoming class conduct research in a diversity of fields within or intersecting the social and behavioral sciences: anthropology, business, communication, computer science, economics, education, history, law, medicine, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, public affairs and public policy, sociology, publishing, and sociology.

Five fellows are Stanford faculty: Michael Bernstein (computer science), Anna Grzymala-Busse (political science), Saumitra Jha (economics), Greg Walton (psychology), and Robb Willer (sociology; formerly a CASBS fellow in 2012-13). Walton served as a consulting scholar at CASBS during the 2014-15 academic year.

“The fellowship program is the Center’s founding pillar; its enduring excellence continues to serve as the model that others have emulated for decades,” said CASBS deputy director Sally Schroeder. “Each year we work really hard to attract the world’s brightest scholars and meet the ever-high standard we set for the program. And each year we achieve it – the 2020-21 fellows class is no exception.”

It is possible that one or more additional fellows will be added to the roster in the coming months.

The class announcement comes at the usual time on the CASBS calendar, with full acknowledgment of public health concerns stemming from the global pandemic.

“Especially during a moment of uncertainty like this, it’s important that we affirm and celebrate the intellectual vitality and strength that the CASBS community embodies,” said CASBS director Margaret Levi. “The new fellows – who we very much look forward to seeing in the 2020-21 academic year – are now firmly a part of our community.”

Several fellowships are funded by some of the Center’s partner fellowship programs. Through its Frederick Burkhardt Fellows Program, the American Council of Learned Societies, a longtime CASBS partner, will support two fellows (Gwen Ottinger, Trinidad Rico). For the fourth consecutive year, the Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) within the National Applied Research Laboratories of Taiwan (NARLabs), a federal government agency, will support one Stanford-Taiwan Social Science fellow (Chung-li Wu). This is the third year Presence, a center at Stanford Medical School led by National Humanities Medal recipient Dr. Abraham Verghese, will support one fellow (Kiki Lombarts). For the second consecutive year, the Chinese University of Hong Kong will support one CUHK-Stanford University CASBS fellow (Jimmy Chan). This is the second year the National University of Singapore will support a NUS Fellow (Tuan-Hwee Sng). Finally, the Center is delighted to welcome its first STIAS-Iso Lomso fellow (Eric Otchere) based on a new collaboration with the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, South Africa.

In addition to fellows, the Center has three other appointment designations: visiting scholars (academics who are spouses/partners of fellows), research affiliates (non-Stanford scholars who lead CASBS-based projects), and faculty fellows (Stanford faculty who lead CASBS-based projects). The Center will finalize these appointments by late spring or summer.

The 2020–21 Class

*This list may increase in the months to come and is not final. CASBS faculty fellows, research affiliates and visiting scholars are still to be announced.