Laura Napolitano, PhD is Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice at Rutgers–Camden.

Broadly, she focuses on inequality among families using cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs. Her work investigates how the daily experiences of low- and middle-income families shape broader patterns of social stratification. She also studies the perspectives of adolescents and young adults from less resourced families as they encounter, and overcome, structural limitations and unequal social institutions such as the criminal justice and child welfare systems.

Dr. Napolitano is a Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow, Writing and Design Lab Fellow and Digital Teaching Fellow. She teaches courses on sociology of the family and research methods. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.S. in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Before coming to Rutgers, Professor Napolitano was a Harold A. Richman Postdoctoral Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.