Welcome to the Spotlight Series, where we put the focus on the talented individuals who contribute to the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy here in Trinity College Dublin.
Each month, we sit down with a member of our research team to learn more about their areas of expertise, what the turning points have been in their career, and what inspires them in their daily lives.
Professor Yekaterina (Kat) Chzhen
Kat Chzhen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. She studies poverty and inequality across the life course, with a particular focus on childhood and adolescence. Kat uses quantitative methods to examine socio-economic disparities in education, health, and life satisfaction. She received her B.A. from the American University in Bulgaria, her MA from the Central European University, her MSc from KU Leuven, and her PhD from the University of York. Her work has been published in several high-ranking journals in her field, including European Societies, Social Science & Medicine, the Journal of Marriage and Family, and the Journal of Adolescent Health.
What is your current area of research?
My research looks at how differences in family resources affect children’s outcomes. I tend to use data from longitudinal studies that follow the same families over time. This enables me to determine, for instance, whether poverty experienced in early childhood is generally more harmful than poverty experienced in middle childhood or adolescence. Recently, I have also started examining sub-groups that are overlooked by policy, such as children who are family carers.
What question or challenge were you setting out to address when you started this work?
I would like to understand how we can create a society in which parents’ desire to do their best for their children does not hinder equal opportunities and fair outcomes for all. I have been grappling with this question for a long time, but I still don’t have an answer. Why do we allow poverty to exist? Why are we seemingly okay with some children falling irreversibly behind their peers? Perhaps it is because families compete on their children’s outcomes and are less willing to pool resources to invest in other people’s children.
Share a turning point or defining moment in your work as a researcher?
When I was working at the United Nations Children’s Fund, where I was for six years before joining Trinity in 2019, I realised that social science research can be used to advocate for better policies for families and children around the world. Translating research findings into policy and advocacy is not easy, but it can be very rewarding.
Briefly, what excites you about your research?
I am working on questions relating to inequality in children’s education and health that people can relate to, since everyone has been a child and has opinions about how resources should be distributed in society. It is also important to me that the findings of my research can inform policy. Above all, however, I am just happy that my work has the potential to improve people’s lives.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I do fencing! Competing against people half my age who have more training opportunities than I do is challenging, but I still finished third in the women’s sabre in Ireland in the 2024/25 season. I also represented Ireland internationally at the 2024 and 2025 Veterans Four Nations Fencing competitions. Fencing is a great sport for any age.
What are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. It’s the most intimate and moving account of the Troubles I’ve ever come across.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
Ursula Le Guin – because she imagined worlds with completely different social structures to ours. A good example is The Left Hand of Darkness, where there is a society of ambisexual people.
What would people be surprised to find out about you?
I get surprised looks when I say that I came to Trinity after six years as an international civil servant. There is sometimes a perception that it is difficult to move between sectors, but I found my experience of doing research in different settings very useful.
February 2025
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