Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

Berkeley Social Sciences has welcomed 21 new faculty members for the 2025–26 academic year to advance its mission of teaching, research and public service.

“I’m delighted to welcome an extraordinary group of 21 new faculty members across our departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography, History, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology," Berkeley Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray said. "These brilliant scholars expand the depth and breadth of Berkeley Social Sciences, bringing new energy, ideas and perspectives to our...

In its 2026 national rankings for best colleges, U.S. News and World Report ranked UC Berkeley Social Sciences departments of Psychology and Economics No. 2 for their undergraduate programs. Overall, UC Berkeley is once again the No. 1 public school in the country. In spring 2024, U.S. News ranked Berkeley Psychology and Economics No. 1...

Keltner, a distinguished professor of psychology at Berkeley, has led the discipline's study of human emotion, power and the concept of awe throughout his career.

Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley distinguished professor of psychology who has led the discipline’s study...

UC Berkeley History Professor Susanna Elm has long been thinking about how to understand the later Roman empire. Her research explores pressing themes that range from the rise of autocratic systems to the economy of slavery. She also examines displays of masculinity in the late Roman Empire and the ways ancient medical practices inform contemporary hospital design, among a broad range of other subjects.

Beyond her individual research, Elm has also been working with her late antique colleagues across UC campuses to reframe the Eurocentric nature...