Esther Chan
chane[@]uwm.edu
April 2023

Education

  • 2020. Ph.D., Sociology, Yale University.

    • Social Imaginaries of Diversity: Race, Gender, and Sexuality on an Evangelical University and a Secular University

    • Committee: Philip Gorski (co-chair), Grace Kao (co-chair), Rene Almeling

  • 2017 M.Phil., Sociology, Yale University

  • 2016 M.A., Sociology, Yale University

  • 2012 B.A., Sociology, Summa Cum Laude, University of California, San Diego

Research and Teaching Interests

Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; Religion; Gender and Sexuality; Science and Medicine; Education; Mixed Methods

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Note: Asterisks (*) indicate undergraduate students, post-baccalaureate fellows, or graduate students at the time of writing.

  • 2023 Chan, Esther, Isaiah Jeong*, and Elijah Jeong*. “Racial and Religious Convergences and Divergences Among Christian Students’ Approaches to Color-blindness, Color-Cognizance, and Race in Christian Organizations.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 62(1): 164-183.

  •  2022 Chan, Esther and Sharan Mehta*. “Fertilizing Morality: Religiosity, Confidence, and Faith in Science on the Morality, Immorality, and Amorality of Reproductive Technologies.” Public Understandings of Science 31(4): 376–393.

  • 2020  Chan, Esther. “Does Diversity Include Me? Colorblindness and Racial Triangulation Among Asian Americans on Two College Campuses.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 43(12): 2217-2235.

  • 2018. Chan, Esther. “Are the Religious Suspicious of Science? Investigating Religiosity, Religious Context, and Orientations Towards Science Cross-Nationally.” Public Understandings of Science 27(8):967-984.

  • 2018. Collins, Stephen C., Soorin Kim, and Esther Chan. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Utilization of Prayer and Clergy Counseling by Infertile US Women Desiring Pregnancy.” Journal of Religion and Health 57(6): 2230–2240.

  • 2017. Collins, Stephen C. and Esther Chan. “Sociocultural Determinants of US Women’s Ethical Views on Various Fertility Treatments.” Reproductive BioMedicine Online 35(6):669-677.

  • 2017. Ecklund, Elaine Howard, Jared Peifer, Virginia White, and Esther Chan. “Moral Schemas in Articulation and Intuition: How Religious People Evaluate Human Reproductive Genetic Technologies.” Sociological Forum 32(2):277-297.

  • 2016. Chan, Esther and Elaine Howard Ecklund. “Narrating and Navigating Authorities: Evangelical and Mainline Protestant Interpretations of the Bible and Science.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 55(1):54-69.

  • 2015. Chan, Esther. “Complementarianism as Doctrine and Governance: Narratives on Women’s Leadership among Second-Generation Asian Americans.” Review of Religious Research 57(3):435-452.

  • 2015. Korver-Glenn, Elizabeth, Esther Chan, and Elaine Howard Ecklund. “Perceptions of Science Education among African American and White Evangelicals.” Review of Religious Research 57(1):131-148.

  • 2013. Ecklund, Elaine Howard, Celina Davila, Michael Emerson, Samuel Kye, and Esther Chan. “Motivating Civic Engagement: In-Group versus Out-Group Service Orientations among Mexican Americans in Religious and Nonreligious Organizations.” Sociology of Religion 74 (3):370-391.

Research Grants and Fellowships Received

  • 2023-2024. “The Limits of Diversity,” Advancing Research and Creativity Award, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ($12,360)

  •  2023-2024. “Atheism @ Virtual World” (Co-Principal Investigator with Di Di, Santa Clara University), Queen’s University Belfast, Explaining Atheism Programme (£45,000)

  •  2023 “Racing Religion, Science, and Mental Health: How Race and Orientations to Religion and Science Shape Religious Leaders’ Views on Mental Health Causes and Treatments” (Co-Principal Investigator with Di Di, Santa Clara University), Duke University, National Survey of Religious Leaders ($2,000)

  • 2019. “Between Numeric Representation and Model Minorities: Asian Americans, Diversity, and Colorblindness of Two College Campuses.” Conference Travel Award, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ($645)

  • 2017. “Cultural Imaginaries and the Organizational Structure of Diversity: A Comparative Study of Diversity in an Evangelical College and a Secular University.” Research Grant, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion ($3,000)

  • 2017. “Social Imaginaries and the Organizational Structure of Diversity: A Comparative Study of Diversity in an Evangelical College and a Secular University.” Research Grant, Yale University Camp Grant ($500)

Academic Honors and Awards

  • 2018-2019. Daniel Butler (B.A. 1835) Memorial Scholarship Fund Recipient, Yale University

  • 2017-2018. Frederick W. Hilles Fellow, Yale University

  • 2015-2017. Rev. Thomas A. Emerson Fellow, Yale University

  • 2015. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Honorable Mention

  • 2012. Provost Scholar (award given to top six graduating seniors of Eleanor Roosevelt College, UC San Diego)

  • 2012. Best Undergraduate Sociology Paper, UC San Diego

  • 2008-2012. Provost Honors, UC San Diego

  • 2008-2012. Sutter Scholarship ($1000 per year)

  • 2008. Valedictorian of South San Francisco High School

Teaching

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – Instructor on Record

  • Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (graduate)

  • Race and Ethnicity in the United States (undergraduate)

  • Qualitative Research Methods (graduate)

  • Sociological Research Methods (undergraduate)

Service

  • 2023-2025. Associate Editor, Sociology of Religion

  • 2023-2025. Steering Committee, Sociology of Religion Unit, American Academy of Religion

  • 2022. Session on Professional Development Panel: Publishing Articles Co-Organizer, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (with Joseph O. Baker)

  • 2021-2023. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Publications Committee

  • 2021. Session on Asia and Asian America Co-Organizer, American Sociological Association (with Phoebe Ho).

  • 2020. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Graduate Student Grant Committee (with Angela McCarthy, Kevin Dougherty, and Michael Rotolo).

  • 2019. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Graduate Student Grant Committee (with Rebecca Kim, Dawne Moon, and Kevin Dougherty).

  • 2015. American Sociological Association Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity Outstanding Book Award Committee (with Lori Peek).

Software Proficiency

  • Stata

  • NVivo