Edward O. Laumann

Edward O. Laumann served as the eight Provost of the University of Chicago. Laumann was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1938 and earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University in 1964. He came to the University of Chicago in 1973 by way of the University of Michigan, where he was hired as an Assistant Professor right after graduation. Laumann served as the chair of the Department of Sociology and the Dean of the Social Sciences before being named Provost of the University of Chicago in 1992.

Laumann is known for his pioneering work in social network analysis and the sociology of sexuality.  Today he is the Director of NORC's Ogburn-Stouffer Center for the Study of Social Organizations, the Chairman of the NORC Board of Trustees, and is also the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor. His many honors include membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, serving on the editorial board of the Law and Social Inquiry journal, and being named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.