Rob Eschmann

Dr. Eschmann writes on educational inequality, community violence, racism, social media, and youth wellbeing. His research seeks to uncover individual, group, and institutional-level barriers to racial and economic equity, and he pays special attention to the heroic efforts everyday people make to combat those barriers. Dr. Eschmann’s research also investigates the effects of online experiences on real-world outcomes. From his work on the relationship between online communication and community violence, to his current work on race and racism in the digital era, his research bridges the gap between virtual and face-to-face experiences.

Dr. Eschmann is the author of a new book, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Era (University of California Press, 2023), which systematically explores the ways online communication has changed the expressions of racism, its effects on communities of color and society, and resistance to racism at individual and structural levels. He has taught classes on race and racial justice, storytelling for social justice, urban education, social welfare policy, statistics, and program evaluation.

Dr. Eschmann received both his master’s degree and his PhD in Social Service Administration at the Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to Columbia, he was on the faculty at the Boston University School of Social Work, where he also served as Assistant Director of Research at BU’s Center for Antiracist Research.