Per Block joined the Department of Sociology as an SNSF Eccellenza Professor in 2022. Previously, he worked at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and the department of Sociology at the University of Oxford (2020-2022) and at the ETH Zurich (2014-2019). He holds a DPhil (2014) and MSc (2010) in Sociology from Oxford, and a Diplom in Chemistry (2008) from Marburg, with a specialisation in Nuclear Medicine.

Per’s research area is the Sociology of Networks with a focus on structural patterns that represent the interdependence of different observations, as well as the development of new methodology and furthering our understanding of the current statistical network toolbox. His SNFS research project combines the modelling of social networks and research  on  social  mobility.  The  aim  of  the  project  is  to  uncover  how  macro-level  mobility patterns are brought about through social relations, applying novel statistical methodology. Additionally, Per actively collaborates across disciplinary boundaries to further the understanding of network processes in science.