Prof. Dr. Frank Dobbin Harvard-University USA • Berlin University Alliance

Prof. Frank Dobbin

is the Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. He earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.His 2009 book Inventing Equal Opportunity explores how HR professionals and activists helped define—and continually expand—the legal understanding of workplace discrimination in the United States. His 2022 co-authored book Getting to Diversity: What Works and What Doesn’t, written with Alexandra Kalev, examines the long-term effectiveness of diversity programs across more than 800 companies over three decades. The book identifies which interventions foster diversity, which do not, and how ineffective measures can be improved.Dobbin and Kalev are currently applying similar methods to study university programs aimed at increasing faculty diversity, with a focus on identifying the most effective strategies.He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Radcliffe Institute, the Safra Center for Ethics, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study

Prof. Frank Dobbin has been invited as an international guest of DiGENet

in recognition of his foundational research on diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizational contexts. With over three decades of empirical study, including his landmark work, Getting to Diversity, Dobbin offers unparalleled insight into which corporate and institutional interventions succeed—or fail—in advancing representation. His expertise offers valuable perspectives for evidence-driven, international discussions on how organizational policies shape inclusivity in higher education and beyond.As part of the DiGENet Lunchtalk on December 2, 2024, Prof. Frank Dobbin presented new, unpublished findings from a large-scale study based on data from approximately 600 U.S. universities. His focus was on structural measures to promote diversity in academia. Institutionalized mentoring programs and the active engagement of university leadership in diversity taskforces emerged as particularly effective strategies—not only symbolically, but also in terms of measurable outcomes related to hiring and promotion practices. At the same time, Dobbin warned against seemingly progressive tools such as formal complaint systems, which often place additional burdens on affected individuals and may erode institutional trust. His presentation sparked a lively discussion on the importance of regular diversity data monitoring and the need for evidence-based strategies to drive sustainable change