Faculty

Faculty in the Social Sciences provide an outstanding context for research and learning for more than 6,500 undergraduates and nearly 400 graduate students in 12 departments.  The student experience is enriched by faculty diversity, not just diverse in terms of race and gender but a faculty that demonstrates a diversity of talents, teaching approaches, and research interests.

Social Scientists bring new discoveries to the forefront: communicating critical perspectives on social, political, and economic issues that challenge contemporary society; providing communities and policymakers with alternative visions of how to bring about social change; and making connections between data and behavior. 

Faculty research vital issues such as globalization; the link between science, technology, sustainability and social policy; modes of conflict and communication within and between societies; and how the economy is affected by governmental decisions. The faculty's interdisciplinary approach to society, culture, economics, politics, ethnicity, and gender offers students a rich understanding of the world.

new
faculty

 


  • Alexander Cho
    Assistant Professor
    Asian American Studies

  • Debanuj DasGupta
    Assistant Professor
    Feminist Studies

  • Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky
    Assistant Professor
    Global Studies

  • Kristy Hamilton
    Assistant Professor
    Communication

  • Celia Herrera Rodriguez
    Lecturer
    Chicana/o Studies

  • Ricado Jacobs
    Assistant Professor
    Global Studies

  • Tae-Yeoun Keum
    Assistant Professor
    Political Science

  • Dana Kornberg
    Assistant Professor
    Sociology

  • Yader R. Lanuza
    Assistant Professor
    Sociology

  • Daniel Masterson
    Assistant Professor
    Political Science

  • Muniba Saleem
    Associate Professor
    Communication

Endowed Chairs

At UC Santa Barbara, philanthropic support is central to maintaining the quality of teaching, research, and public service. One of the most important types of gifts to higher education is an endowed chair, which provides research funding and support for instruction that help us recruit and retain the world's finest scholars. You can review the current array of endowed chairs below.

  • Theodore C. Bergstrom
  • AARON AND CHERIE RAZNICK CHAIR IN ECONOMICS
  • College of Letters and Science
  • Aaron* and Cherie Raznick H ’88, Donors
  • Theodore C. Bergstrom, Raznick Professor of Economics
  • LEARN MORE
  • Shelley Lundberg
  • ALEC P. ALEXANDER CHAIR IN ECONOMICS
  • Economics Department
  • Walter and Thelma Mead, Donors
  • Erik Eyster, Alexander Professor of Economics
  • LEARN MORE
  • ANTON VONK CHAIR IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
  • Political Science Department
  • Anton Vonk, M.A. ’05 and Diane Boss, Donors
  • Vonk Professor of Environmental Politics
  • LEARN MORE
  • Eileen Boris
  • ARTHUR N. RUPE CHAIR IN THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF MASS COMMUNICATION
  • Department of Communication
  • Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, Donor
  • Ronald E. Rice, Rupe Professor of the Social Effects of Mass Communication
  • LEAN MORE
  • J. Benjamin Cohen
  • BLAIR HULL CHAIR IN WOMEN'S STUDIES
  • Department of Feminist Studies
  • M. Blair Hull ’65, Donor
  • Eileen Boris, Hull Professor of Women’s Studies
  • LEARN MORE
  • Finn E. Kydland
  • JEFF HENLEY CHAIR IN ECONOMICS
  • Department of Economics
  • Jeff and Judy Henley ’66/H ’09, Donors
  • Finn E. Kydland, Henley Professor of Economics
  • 2004 Nobel Prize in Economics
  • LEARN MORE
  • Shelley Lundberg
  • LEONARD BROOM CHAIR IN DEMOGRAPHY
  • Division of Social Sciences
  • Leonard* and Gretchan Broom, Donors
  • Shelley Lundberg, Broom Professor of Demography
  • LEARN MORE
  • Ignacio Esponda
  • LOUIS G. LANCASTER CHAIR IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  • Department of Political Science 
  • Winifred H. Lancaster* H ’89, Donor
  • J. Benjamin Cohen, Lancaster Professor of International Relations
  • LEARN MORE
  • Rod Garratt
  • LUIS LEAL CHAIR IN CHICANA AND CHICANO STUDIES
  • Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
  • Individuals, Foundations, Corporations, and the Mexican Government, Donors
  • Aida Hurtado, Leal Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies
  • LEARN MORE
  • Rod Garratt
  • MARK AND SUSAN BERTELSEN CHAIR IN TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY IN COMMUNICATION
  • Department of Communication
  • Mark '66 and Susan '67 Bertelsen, Donors
  • Joe Walther, Bertelsen Professor of Communication
  • LEARN MORE
  • Rod Garratt
  • MAXWELL C. AND MARY PELLISH CHAIR IN ECONOMICS
  • Department of Economics
  • Colonel Maxwell C. Pellish* and Mrs. Mary Pellish, Donors
  • Rod Garratt, Pellish Professor of Economics
  • LEARN MORE
  • Charles Hale
  • SAGE SARA MILLER MCCUNE DEAN OF SOCIAL SCIENCES CHAIR
  • Division of Social Sciences
  • SAGE Publications, Inc., Donor
  • Charles R. Hale, SAGE Professor and Dean of Social Sciences
  • LEARN MORE
  • Ignacio Esponda
  • WALTER J. MEAD CHAIR IN ECONOMICS
  • Department of Economics
  • Walter and Thelma Mead, Donors
  • Ignacio Esponda, Mead Professor of Economics
  • LEAN MORE