I am a sociologist with an interest in research methods, culture, social memory, social transformations, sociology of food, and environmental sociology. In my research, I examine the mechanisms through which personal and collective memory draw on the past and the ways in which this past is used to construct, build, and negotiate the present. I hold a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Before coming to the Graduate Center, I attended Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Germany where I received my Master’s degree in Social Sciences. In 2012, I co-founded the network Third Generation Ost USA with the goal of providing a platform for new perspectives and approaches to researching the legacy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Currently, I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Human Relations at the School of Professional Studies of the City University of New York where I teach courses such as Social Statistics; Quantitative Reasoning; Race, Class, Gender and the Capstone.

In the past, I have held several research and teaching fellowships. As a Cultural Policy Research Fellow I mapped and analyzed data on arts education and arts events in NYC. One report of which helped inform the cultural plan CreateNYC which was adopted by the City of New York in 2017. Teaching fellowships, such as Graduate Teaching Fellow, Writing Across the Curriculum Fellow, and Quantitative Reasoning Fellow, helped shape my pedagogy of student engagement and discussion-based learning. I have taught courses at Fordham University, the City College of New York, the College of Staten Island, and Hunter College.

If you want to get in touch with me you can contact me at: Melanie.Lorek@cuny.edu.