Jennifer Lee is a sociologist who has done seminal work on the study of Asian Americans. Her wide-ranging research addresses morally urgent questions about the implications of contemporary U.S. immigration—particularly Asian immigration—on the native-born population. She has studied this from a variety of analytical lenses, including immigrant entrepreneurship and ethnic conflict, intermarriage and multiracial identification, educational opportunities and outcomes, affirmative action, and the surge in anti-Asian violence since the onset of COVID-19.
Professional positions
- 2017–present: Professor of sociology (2017–2019) and Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Social Sciences (2020–present), Columbia University
- 2000–2017: Assistant (2000–2003), associate (2003–2011), and full professor (2011–2017) of sociology, University of California, Irvine
Notable publications
- Lee, Jennifer, and Van C. Tran. 2019. “The mere mention of Asians in affirmative action.” Sociological Science 6: 551–579.
- Lee, Jennifer, and Min Zhou. 2015. The Asian American Achievement Paradox. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Lee, Jennifer, and Frank D. Bean. 2010. The Diversity Paradox: Immigration and the Color Line in 21st Century America. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Lee, Jennifer, and Min Zhou, eds. 2004. Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity. New York, NY: Routledge.
Degrees
- PhD, sociology, Columbia University
- MA, sociology, Columbia University
- BA, sociology, Columbia University
