Curriculum Vitae

BACKGROUND

I am an assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. Before coming to Chicago, I received my doctorate in sociology from Stanford University, served as a research associate in the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets group at Harvard Business School, started a private high school in Utah focused on project-based arts education, and completed a B. A. in Anthropology from Brigham Young University. In the course of these events, I was married to Jeannie Evans and we now have three (fabulous) children, Noah (8), Ruth (6) and Anna (2). My research lies within the fields of economic sociology, organizations and work; the sociology of science and technology; and the sociology of knowledge. (see my cv for more on background and experience…).

RESEARCH

My current research agenda centers upon two projects. My dissertation: Sharing the Harvest? The Uncertain Fruits of Public-Private Collaboration in Plant Biotechnology examined the impact of industry on the focus and dissemination of basic plant science. I am particularly interested in how institutional logics, careers, and networks across industry, government and the academy interact to unevenly drive developments at the frontier of science, and unequally distribute the benefits of those developments. I recently received an NSF grant, with Woody Powell, to expand this project and compare the case of plant science to other areas. In the process of this research, I am developing new methodological ideas involving graph theory, clustering, and the combination of qualitative and quantitative data.

The second project explores the rise and consequences of temporary employment in high skill labor markets. With Stephen Barley and Gideon Kunda, I have written a series of papers on the experience of contingent labor markets in high technology industries. I am also conducting research using an event-historical design on the rise of contingent employment in the U.S. and its differing impact on high and low-skill workers. (more about research)

TEACHING

I currently teach the social science freshman seminar, Self, Culture and Society, focused on political economy, in addition to an undergraduate course on the sociology of work and organizations and a graduate course on the sociology of science. I am developing new courses on the sociology of knowledge, exploratory data analysis, and the management of research and development. My teaching interests are broad, and I have taught courses on economic sociology, organizations and public policy, philosophy, world history and the history of science. I co-founded an independent high school in 1992, where I served as executive director and pioneered a project-based curriculum in social studies and world history. I have taught or served as teaching assistant for courses at the University of Chicago, Stanford, Harvard, and Brigham Young University which received excellent ratings. (more about teaching)

Contact James A. Evans: 773-834-3612, jevans@uchicago.edu

Sociology Department, University of Chicago, 1126 E. 59^th Street, Chicago, IL 60637