Professor Wu Xiaogang, the Yufeng Global Professor of Social Science, Area Head of Social Science, and the founding Director of the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER) at NYU Shanghai, has been elected to membership in the prestigious Sociological Research Association (SRA). He was inducted into the association on August 7 during the SRA members’ meeting in Los Angeles, held in conjunction with the American Sociological Association’s annual meeting. 

“We are especially pleased that the SRA has chosen to recognize Xiaogang formally in this way as one of the top scholars in sociological research. This well-deserved honor is an enormous credit to him and through him to NYU Shanghai, and we are very proud of him”, said NYU Shanghai Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen. 

The honor society for sociologists was founded in 1936 to recognize leading researchers in the discipline. It comprises 450 members and selects up to 14 new members each year based on merit. As the officers of SRA noted: “The sole criterion for selection is excellence in research. The SRA election signifies the enthusiasm of your colleagues for your scholarship.”  

Wu joins 13 other distinguished scholars in the 2022 cohort to the SRA new members. While the great majority of members are from the United States and Canada, he is among the few members in foreign-based institutions and the only member in East Asia. Wu’s selection is testament to his successful research agenda and acknowledges his position as a leader in the field.

“I consider the SRA membership one of the biggest honors in our discipline. I am delighted that my work is recognized, and I appreciate the support from many respectable scholars in this group,” said Wu.

Wu joined NYU Shanghai in 2020 from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) where he was a Chair Professor of Social Science and Public Policy. Since his arrival, Wu has launched the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER) at NYU Shanghai, an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to fostering methodologically rigorous research on the most pressing issues related to China’s socioeconomic development. 

Wu currently serves as the President of the International Chinese Sociological Association (ICSA) and the Chief Editor of the Chinese Sociological Review (CSR). His research focuses broadly on inequality and stratification, and published more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles on education, migration, class, gender and ethnicity in China (including Hong Kong). His research has been supported by prestigious funding agencies such as the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation in the United States, European Research Council, and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. In the past 10 years, he has led a research team to collect household panel survey data in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Professor Wu is currently investigating the social and political consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and early childhood development and social stratification in China.