Ramiro Martinez Jr. (PhD, sociology, 1992) is going to transform the lives of many sociology graduate students for years to come. In creating The Ramiro Martinez Jr., PhD Endowed Dissertation Fund and contributing to the The Graduate School Fellowship for Historically Underrepresented Graduate Students Fund, the professor in criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University has ensured the support of one or more PhD students studying criminology in the areas of crime, law and deviance or violence studies.
"We are truly grateful to Professor Martinez,” said Claudia Buchmann, professor and chair of sociology. “By providing our graduate students with the life-changing gift of education, his support ensures that Ohio State’s tradition of providing access to academic excellence continues.”
2017 marks 30 years since Martinez began his own graduate school journey, here at Ohio State. Reflecting on that time, he offered that the department had an indelible effect on his life and career.
“My time at Ohio State was a transformative experience that opened up many opportunities for me,” said Martinez. “I take tremendous pride in being a part of the Ohio State criminology program and all the amazing faculty and students connected to the department.”
In making this gift, Martinez recognizes the challenges graduate students confront when completing a dissertation and searching for a job. As such, he wanted to give back to the department and support these students as they prepare to begin their career. He also wanted to recognize the memory of his dissertation committee members who have passed away, Simon Dinitz, and Rick Lundman, as well as Ruth Peterson, who recently retired, all three of whom he said were incredibly important for his intellectual development.
Martínez is a quantitative criminologist. His core research agenda examines violent crime across ecological settings and across racial, ethnic and immigrant groups. In 2015, Martinez was recognized by American Sociological Association Latina/o section with the Founder's Award for contributions to the section, scholarly work, research, mentoring, and path-setting achievements.
“Professor Martinez’ investment is an amazing testament to his generous spirit and deep commitment to the field and to Ohio State,” said Buchmann.
