Kjersten Bunker Whittington

Kjersten Bunker Whittington is a Professor of Sociology at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.12 Her research and teaching interests focus on several key areas:

Research Interests

• Gender and work
• Scientific careers and science-based organizations
• Science policy, particularly women's health research
• Networks and social structure
• Knowledge economy

Specific Research Topics

Professor Whittington's ongoing research addresses:

• Gender disparities in research productivity (patenting and publishing) across academic and industrial sectors
• Gender and motherhood dynamics among science professionals
• Gendered decision-making in venture capital contexts
• Influence of inter-organizational network structure on firm-level innovative output
• Determinants of successful regional clustering in the biotechnology industry
• Science policy related to sex and gender-based measures in health research
• Race and technology in the genomic age

Teaching

At Reed College, she teaches courses on:

• Science, technology, and social difference
• Gender, work, and organizations
• Networks methodology and network theory
• Introductory sociology core
• Sociological methodology and empirical approaches

Professor Whittington is a quantitative and network methodologist.3 Her work contributes to understanding the intersections of gender, science, and organizational structures in various contexts.