Erin Leahey

Research Interests

Erin Leahey studies research methods and practice, gender inequality, and science. Her dissertation examined how professional status shapes scholars' research practices in domains of research that are quite standardized (like statistical significance testing) and in domains for which few guidelines exist (like data editing). Other research has focused on inequality, particularly gender inequality. Erin’s most recent project combines her interests in scientific research and inequality. She has developed measures for two important but typically unmeasured constructs -- the extent of research specialization and innovation in academic research – and recently won an award for these developments. Erin has designed studies to test whether and how these constructs affect academic career outcomes, such as productivity (Gender & Society), salary (American Sociological Review), and visibility (Social Forces, in press).