Robert Dingwall

Robert William James Dingwall FAcSS (born 6 August 1950) is a British sociologist and academic, specialising in medical sociology. He was Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham from 1990 to 2010 and at Nottingham Trent University 2010–22. He has Emeritus status at both universities. His research is on the interdisciplinary study of law, medicine, science and technology. Dingwall was born on 6 August 1950. He attended the independent St Peter's School, York from 1963 to 1968. At St John's College, Cambridge, Dingwall studied economics for part I of the Tripos and then switched to social and political science for part II, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1971: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree. He then studied medical sociology at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1974. His doctoral thesis was titled "The social organisation of health visitor training". From 1975 to 1977, after completing his doctorate, Dingwall was a research fellow in the Institute of Medical Sociology at the University of Aberdeen.