Josipa Roksa is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Education (by courtesy) at the University of Virginia.  Professor Roksa received her Ph.D. from New York University (NYU) in 2006 and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Mount Holyoke College in 2000. 

Professor Roksa’s primary research interests include inequality in access and attainment in higher education, transition to the labor market, and the interaction between school and work.   Her current research projects are embedded in two broad areas of inquiry.  The first line of research examines how individual and institutional factors shape inequality in cognitive growth in higher education, focusing in particular on knowledge and skill development of students from racial minority groups and disadvantaged family backgrounds.  This is a large-scale collaborative endeavor, funded by the Ford and Lumina Foundations.  

The second set of projects explores the relationship between school and work and its consequences for educational and labor market stratification.  Relying on longitudinal data, Professor Roksa examines how entry into higher education and degree completion are related to other life course transitions, particularly paid employment.  She is also considering how different educational credentials are rewarded in the labor market based on their ties to specific occupations.  One of her projects in this area, entitled “Social Class at Work: How Family Background Shapes the Patterns and Consequences of College Employment,” is funded by the Spencer Foundation.

Professor Roksa teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in research methods, statistics, social stratification, and education.  She was named a University Teaching Fellow for 2008-2009.

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Selected Publications

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