Dalton Conley
Henry Putnam University Professor of Sociology, Princeton University
Dalton Conley is a leading social and behavioral scientist and acclaimed author whose work illuminates the intricate ways race, class, genetics, and family dynamics shape American life. Renowned for blending rigorous research with compelling storytelling, Conley offers audiences fresh perspectives on family life, inequality, and the evolving social landscape.
In his memoir Honky, Conley recounts his upbringing as a white child in a predominantly Black and Latino housing project in New York City. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote “With precision and poetry, this... absorbing volume [gives] readers a rare opportunity for insight into the complexities of race in America.” while The Washington Post lauded its clarity and accessibility, calling it “lucid, readable and almost entirely devoid of jargon.”
In The Pecking Order, Conley turns his sociological lens on the family itself, challenging the assumption that parental resources alone determine children’s outcomes. Drawing on national data and intimate case studies, he argues that sibling differences—shaped by birth order, timing, and sheer chance—often matter more than family background in explaining success and failure. The book upended traditional views of the family as a unified force, instead portraying it as a mini-society rife with its own inequalities. The New York Times feature on Conley and the book noted that “Conley has acquired a reputation in his field as an original thinker with a knack for poking holes in disciplinary doctrine.”
Elsewhere, U.S.A. examines the transformation of American work-life balance in the digital age. Publishers Weekly described it as a “prescient analysis” of how technology and free markets have reshaped American life, highlighting the shift from compartmentalized mid-20th-century lifestyles to a fluid hybrid of work, pleasure, and consumption.
In Parentology, Conley merges personal anecdotes with scientific research to explore unconventional parenting methods. Kirkus Reviews noted its appeal to parents who appreciate a humorous take on child-rearing, describing it as “a parent’s-eye view of recent scientific research into ‘the job you can never quit,’ with a lot of winking.”
In his latest book, The Social Genome: The New Science of Nature and Nurture, Conley explores the emerging field of sociogenomics, which examines how genes and environment interact to shape human development. He introduces the concept of the polygenic index, a tool that allows researchers to predict traits such as educational attainment and health outcomes based on DNA. Conley argues that the traditional nature versus nurture debate is outdated, emphasizing instead the dynamic interplay between our genetic makeup and the environments we navigate. The New York Times Book Review described the book as “a mind-twisting journey,” while Psychology Today praised it as “a compelling refutation of the conventional nature-nurture dichotomy” that transforms our understanding of human behavior. Kirkus Reviews noted that the book “may unsettle readers at the extremes but will entertain them all.”
Academically, Conley holds the position of Henry Putnam University Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. His interdisciplinary approach is evidenced by his M.P.A. in Public Policy and Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University, as well as a Ph.D. in Biology from New York University. His accolades include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation. He has also received the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award and is the only sociologist to win the NSF’s Alan T. Waterman Award for best young scientist, engineer or mathematician in any field. Conley is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Beyond academia, Conley’s personal experiences—as a parent navigating the challenges of modern child-rearing—infuse his talks with authenticity and relatability. Whether discussing the nuances of sibling dynamics or the societal implications of genetic research, Dalton Conley engages audiences with thought-provoking insights and a touch of humor.
Topics
Race, Place, and Privilege: Growing Up White in the Inner City
In this eye-opening talk, Dalton Conley brings to life his memoir Honky, a powerful reflection on growing up as a “middle-class” white child in a neighborhood of predominantly Black and Latino housing projects in New York City. With the vivid storytelling that made the book a staple in classrooms and book clubs alike, Conley challenges audiences to rethink race, privilege, and identity from the inside out, using his own experience as the exception that proves the rule. This lecture unpacks how our social environment shapes our sense of self and belonging in the context of race and class in the contemporary U.S.
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Sibling Rivalry and Social Mobility: The Inequality Behind Closed Doors
Forget the myth of the unified family. In this fascinating lecture based on The Pecking Order, Conley dives into the micro-inequalities of family life to reveal how birth order, timing, luck, and internal family dynamics can have as much impact on a child's future as class or race. With warmth and humor, he draws on compelling data and real-life stories to show how success and struggle are often born from within the household itself. It’s a provocative look at how even the most intimate institutions mirror broader patterns of inequality.
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Always On: How Technology and Inequality Rewired the American Soul
Why do we check emails at the dinner table, multitask during movies, and feel like we're working all the time—even when we're not at work? In this timely lecture, Dalton Conley explores the social shifts described in Elsewhere, U.S.A., where the boundaries between work and life, private and public, have all but disappeared. Audiences will leave with a clearer understanding of how economic insecurity, digital connectivity, and cultural change have created a society of “elsewhere people”—and what we can do to find balance in the chaos.
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Parenting by the Numbers: What Happens When a Sociologist Raises Kids
What do you get when you apply social science to potty training, discipline, and screen time? A hilarious, unconventional, and surprisingly useful guide to parenting in the modern age. In this lecture based on his book Parentology, Conley shares his journey as a data-obsessed dad, blending personal anecdotes with scientific insight to explore what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to raising children today. It's a refreshing alternative to parenting dogma that leaves audiences laughing, thinking, and maybe even rethinking how they parent.
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Genes, Justice, and the Future of Inequality
In this cutting-edge talk inspired by The Social Genome, Conley introduces audiences to the rapidly evolving world of sociogenomics—where genetic data meets social science. He unpacks how new tools like polygenic scores are changing our understanding of education, health, and behavior, and what this means for fairness and opportunity in a DNA-aware society. Provocative yet grounded, this lecture tackles the ethical, political, and deeply personal implications of blending nature with nurture, and why the future of inequality may start in our genomes.
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