Our faculty direct several interdisciplinary research centers that enhance our research and training, including the Equity Research Institute, the Spatial Sciences Institute, and the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation. Our faculty also maintain joint appointments in departments including American Studies and Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and the School for Religion strengthening training opportunities for our students. The department is affiliated with the following research centers that serve as hubs for interdisciplinary and faculty-student collaborations.
USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)
CESR is dedicated to discovering how people around the globe live, think, interact, age, invest, and make important, life-changing decisions. Our in-depth research and analysis are deepening the understanding of human behavior in a wide range of economic and social contexts.
(Brian Finch, Faculty Affiliate; Ann Owens, Faculty Affiliate)
USC Dornsife Center on Science, Technology, and Public Life (STPL)
The USC Dornsife Center on Science, Technology, and Public Life (STPL) serves as a platform for collaborative research, graduate training, and public engagement on problems at the intersection of science, technology, and society.
(Andy Lakoff, Director)
USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute (ERI)
ERI seeks to use data and analysis to contribute to a more powerful, well-resourced, intersectional, and intersectoral movement for equity. ERI believes that focused, interdisciplinary exploration with rigor uncovers credible and actionable analysis that can result in new, more effective equity narratives that strengthen organizations, connects communities, and powers movements.
(Manuel Pastor, Director; Jody Agius Vallejo, Associate Director; Hajar Yazdiha, Faculty Affiliate)
USC Center for the Changing Family (CCF)
Launched in 2019 CCF is an interdisciplinary group of USC faculty who study family systems, close relationships, and mental and physical health across the lifespan.
(Emily Smith-Greenaway, Faculty Affiliate; Jennifer Hook, Teaching & Training Subcommittee Member)
USC Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI)
As the hub of spatial thinking and analysis at USC, we partner with researchers, businesses, non-profits, NGOs, and other entities to analyze, model, and visualize location-based data. Our internationally-recognized faculty contribute to the rapidly-evolving body of geospatial knowledge. Through our innovative academic programs, we develop the next generation of spatial thinkers, empowering them with capabilities to solve real-world issues.
(John Wilson, Director; Emily Smith-Greenaway, Faculty; Ann Owens, Faculty Affiliate)