Overview
Symposium in Seminar Room.The Population Studies & Training Center (PSTC) at Brown University, formally established in 1965, is an internationally respected demography research and training center offering an outstanding interdisciplinary graduate training program. The center receives financial support from an NICHD Population Center Infrastructure grant, NICHD Training & Research grant, Hewlett Population Training grant, the University and from faculty research grants from a variety of public and private sponsors, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. With about 50 faculty associates, 40 graduate student trainees, 5 postdocs and 13 staff, the PSTC fosters a stimulating environment for research and education.
Anja Sautmann and team working with collaborators in Mali.PSTC supports population-related research by providing state-of-the-art facilities and research support to PSTC associates; maintaining a forum for interdisciplinary exchange on population-related issues (through events); offering a high-quality interdisciplinary graduate training program; facilitating the recruitment and development of population-related faculty at Brown; and developing cross-unit collaborations on campus and with institutional partners around the world.
Research at the PSTC is innovative and interdisciplinary, and is characterized by its focus on social issues rather than specific demographic outcomes. Reflecting PSTC's strong connection to three social science departments — Anthropology, Economics and Sociology — as well as our links to public health, political science, education and environmental studies, PSTC researchers focus on providing a better understanding of the social structures and systems underlying population structure and well-being. These foci provide a better context in which to consider and debate major social issues and policy. The nature and depth of these connections at the PSTC is evident in our signature research themes and faculty projects.
For information on PSTC administration and its reporting structure and organizational charts, see the 2011-12 Reporting Structure document.