Professor Zachary Parolin receives two early career awards

Professor Zachary Parolin, DSPI’s Professor of Social Policy, Inequality and Opportunity, has been named as the winner of the 2026 William Julius Wilson Early Career Award and has received an Honorable Mention for the 2026 Henrik Enderlein Prize. Both awards recognise his outstanding contribution to the study of poverty, inequality and social mobility early in his career. 

Commenting on his awards, Professor Parolin said: 'I am honoured to receive these two recognitions, which reflect the contributions of many collaborators and mentors over recent years. The awards add further motivation for our research team at Oxford to continue studying how public policy shapes poverty, inequality, and social mobility.'

Professor Parolin’s research centres on measuring, understanding the causes of, and examining the consequences of poverty, inequality, and social mobility in the United States and European Union. His work has helped inform public policy at both national and international levels, including the European Commission’s Anti-Poverty Strategy and Minimum Wage Directive, as well as major policy debates in the United States such as the expansion of child benefits. 

The William Julius Wilson Early Career Award, presented annually by the  American Sociological Association, honours a scholar who has made significant contributions to the fields of poverty, inequality and social mobility within the first decade of their career. Similarly, the Henrik Enderlein Prize recognises a European researcher under the age of 40 whose work has made an outstanding contribution in their field.