Angela Dixon Joins SESP Faculty
Sociologist Angela Dixon, whose current research investigates how lives and families are transformed by loss, has joined Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy as assistant professor of learning sciences.
Dixon, who will also have an appointment with Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, earned her doctorate in sociology and social policy with a concentration in demography from Princeton University. She was most recently an assistant professor at Emory University in Atlanta.
Known for its collaborative and interdisciplinary faculty, the School of Education and Social Policy is home to anthropologists, curriculum developers, economists, learning scientists, sociologists, psychologists, and political scientists.
Dixon’s work around the factors shaping social, economic, educational, and health outcomes is “methodologically rich and innovative and adds to an already dynamic group of sociologists,” said School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, the Carlos Montezuma Professor. “Her questions are unique and important, and the findings address real issues,” he said. “Ultimately, her presence makes us even better.”
Originally from Cincinnati, Dixon first discovered the social sciences after taking an AP psychology class in high school. She majored in psychology and political science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and minored in social and economic justice.
Dixon's postdoctoral training at the Center for Population and Development Studies in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health exposed her to the research issues and approaches of public health scholars. The experience fundamentally shaped the work she does today, which combines sociology, demography, and public health.
She’s now building an evidence base that helps policymakers introduce efforts that provide holistic short- and long-term support to the bereaved.
“The interdisciplinary nature of SESP is strongly appealing,” said Dixon, a novice sailor and windsurfer, who plans to take advantage of Northwestern’s proximity to Lake Michigan. “I’m excited to join the rich intellectual community.”
Dixon’s research has been supported by various funders including the National Institutes of Health (NIH K01 Career Development Award), Spencer Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and the American Sociological Association.