Charis E. Kubrin

Biography

Charis E. Kubrin, Ph.D. is Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and Professor (by courtesy) in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Washington in 2000. Kubrin's research examines the relationship between immigration and crime, the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials, and the effects of criminal justice reform on public safety. She has published six books and over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles in outlets such as Criminology, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Problems.

Kubrin is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and an elected member of the Council on Criminal Justice. She has received numerous awards for her scholarship, including the Herbert Bloch Award from the American Society of Criminology, the Paul Tappan Award from the Western Society of Criminology, the W.E.B. DuBois Award from the Western Society of Criminology, the Coramae Richey Mann Award from the Division on People of Color and Crime, and the Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology. She is also co-recipient of the prestigious 2026 Stockholm Prize in Criminology, widely considered the Nobel Prize of Criminology. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, and other agencies.

Kubrin served as Co-Editor of Criminology from 2020 to 2023 and has held editorial positions with multiple journals including Social Problems, Homicide Studies, and Journal of Crime and Justice. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on criminal justice reform and has served as an expert witness in criminal cases involving the use of rap lyrics as evidence. Her work has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR.

Education

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Washington, 2000
• M.A. in Sociology, University of Washington, 1995
• B.A. in Sociology / Spanish Language & Literature, Smith College, 1993

Distinctions

• Co-Recipient Stockholm Prize in Criminology, 2026
• Policy Outreach Program (POP) Fellow, American Sociological Association, 2025
• Herbert Bloch Award, American Society of Criminology, 2024
• UCDC Presidential Faculty Fellow, University of California Washington Center, 2025
• Fellow, American Society of Criminology, 2019
• Paul Tappan Award, Western Society of Criminology, 2020
• W.E.B. DuBois Award, Western Society of Criminology, 2018
• Coramae Richey Mann Award, Division on People of Color and Crime, American Society of Criminology, 2014
• Best Paper in Housing or Community Development Award, Urban Affairs Association/Fannie Mae Foundation, 2005
• Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award, American Society of Criminology, 2005
• Phi Beta Kappa, Smith College, 1993
• Cicero Speechwriting Award (Category: Controversial or Highly Politicized Topic), Vital Speeches of the Day, 2015
• Morris Rosenberg Award for Recent Achievement, District of Columbia Sociological Society, 2005
• Dean's Diversity Research Award, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, 2014