Matthew Desmond is a highly accomplished social scientist and urban ethnographer who has made significant contributions to the field of sociology. He currently holds the position of Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and is also the Director of the Eviction Lab at the same institution. In addition to his academic roles, Desmond is a Contributing Writer for The New York Times Magazine.
Desmond has authored over fifty academic studies and several books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City." This groundbreaking work also received the National Book Critics Circle Award, Carnegie Medal, and PEN / John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction. "Evicted" was featured on numerous Best Books of 2016 lists, including those of The New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, and National Public Radio. Its significance in the field of social policy has been further recognized by its inclusion in the 100 Best Social Policy Books of All Time and as one of the Best 50 Nonfiction Books of the Last 100 Years.
Much of Desmond's research and reporting focuses on American poverty and public policy. His work has been distinguished with various prestigious awards, such as a MacArthur Fellowship, the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, and an election to the American Philosophical Society. Furthermore, Desmond has been recognized as one of the Politico 50, a list featuring fifty people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate.