David Lindstrom, the new dean of the Graduate School, grew up in Chicago wanting to become a carpenter. But his parents were insistent that he had to become the first in his family to go to college — so Lindstrom attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, intending to study architecture.
After taking an architecture class in his first semester of college, Lindstrom pivoted his focus. “I thought, ‘Maybe this isn’t the right thing for me. Maybe this isn’t where my real talents are,’” he told The Herald. Lindstrom thought about the classes he had excelled in during his first year of college, “and those were things like sociology and history.”
He transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received an “outstanding education” and had a “wonderful experience” as a member of their honors program. He then attended the University of Chicago for graduate school, earning his PhD in sociology.
Lindstrom was drawn to Brown’s research in population and immigration studies — his field of interest — and reached out to the University about a postdoctoral fellowship. He was told that Brown did not have any open fellowships at the time, but he was invited to apply for an assistant professorship position instead. He was hired the day after his visit to campus.
Now, more than 30 years later, Lindstrom is beginning his first semester as Dean of the Graduate School.
Lindstrom described enjoying the “scale of things” at Brown.
“There’s never more than one degree of separation from the people who can make decisions,” he said. “So you have access, as a faculty member, to the senior administration, and you'd never have that at a big, large university.”
Much of Lindstrom’s work as a professor of sociology focuses on the causes and effects of migration and changing dynamics in fertility and reproductive behavior.
Lindstrom previously served as director of the Center for Latin American Studies and chair of the Department of Sociology. He also created the University’s master’s program in social data analytics and has been the program’s director since its creation.
Margot Jackson, professor of sociology and director of the Population Studies and Training Center, praised his leadership skills and aptitude for predicting trends in the field of sociology.
Lindstrom “has a knack for thinking about where we need to be in five or 10 years based on where he thinks the field is going … and setting up the building blocks to make that happen,” Jackson said in an interview with The Herald.
In his new role as Dean of the Graduate School, Lindstrom will face challenges beyond his field of study. Brown paused Ph.D. admissions for the 2026-2027 academic year in at least six departments last semester, and last semester, the University projected a $30 million financial loss due to federal actions in fiscal year 2026.
“The pressure is greatest on small humanities (and) foreign language programs,” Lindstrom said, adding that his goal is to ensure that small humanities continue to succeed at Brown.
“That means finding ways to ensure that they have an adequate number of doctoral students so they continue to be vital, innovative, excellent programs,” he added.
Silvia Giorguli Saucedo PhD’04, a current professor at and former president of El Colegio de México, is a former mentee and longtime coworker of Lindstrom’s. She praised his ability to apply common sense to his decision making.
“It sounds very simple, but it’s something that not everybody does,” she said. Lindstrom’s thought process “leads to very efficient ways of operationalizing or implementing whatever needs to be done.”
Lindstrom’s colleagues also praised his eagerness to connect with his peers and students on a personal level.
“He has always reminded me, as a colleague, to make sure to prioritize things other than work and to enjoy life in a more holistic way,” Jackson said.
When Giorguli Saucedo was appointed president of El Colegio de Mexico, Lindstrom came to Mexico — and he did the same when she was appointed to the Colegio Nacional, a Mexican honorary academy. “I’m very grateful for him, not only in terms of what I have learned from him, but in terms of the way he thinks and he relates to his students,” Giorguli Saucedo said.
Lindstrom currently lives in Rhode Island with his wife and spends his time outside of Brown skiing and fulfilling his love for carpentry. His four children all live in the New England area, along with his eight grandchildren.
According to Jackson, Lindstrom loves giving coworkers and students tours of his house and he often invites them to pick apples in the small orchard in his yard.
It “instills a lot of confidence (in me) that we have someone in this role who is excited and capable to tackle a challenge and to do this in a way that will genuinely be in the best interest of the University and the students themselves,” Jackson said.
Jeremiah Farr is a senior staff writer covering university hall and higher education.
