The 2021 Marvin B. Sussman Best Dissertation Award in the Department of Sociology has been awarded to Dr. Thomas Lyttelton. The title of his dissertation is Work, Sociability, And Inequality. In a quantitative analysis of time use data, Lyttelton shows how mundane sociability with colleagues varies over occupations and has real implications for inequality in life chances. It shapes inclusion, exclusion, information flows, and opinion.
The thesis is important as it opens up a field that has been hiding in plain sight and promises to generate many future lines of inquiry in the sociology of work, organizations and stratification. The committee was especially impressed by the stripped back parsimony and elegance of the analysis as it moved step by step with a relentless eye on key messages. There was not a word wasted.
Dr. Lyttelton will join the Copenhagen Business School as a postdoctoral researcher beginning Summer 2021. Congratulations, Tom!