Linda Brewster Stearns

Linda began her career at Louisiana State University, where she earned tenure and was promoted to associate professor. She then joined University of California, Riverside, where she was promoted to full professor and served as chair of the Sociology Department. Linda came to SMU in 2003 to rebuild the Sociology Department and direct the newly created interdisciplinary Markets and Culture program. Under her leadership the Sociology Department grew in faculty and majors, and the Markets and Culture major became the fifth largest in Dedman College.

Linda holds a joint appointment in the Cox School of Business.

A renowned scholar in economic sociology, Linda’s research focuses on interlocking directorates, mergers and financial decision-making. She has published regularly in prestigious journals such as the American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Social Problems and Administrative Science Quarterly, and co-authored a book, Politics of Privacy. Twice a Russell Sage Foundation fellow, Linda has received funding for her research from the National Science and Howard foundations. Linda’s extensive contributions to the profession range from NSF reviewer to member of the editorial boards of California Management Review, Research in Political Sociology, and Socio-Economic Review.