Chandler Fairbanks
Research Interests: Sexualities; Sex and Gender; Family; Methodology; Aging and the Life Course
Education:
MA, Sociology, 2023, University at Buffalo
BA, Sociology, Film Studies and Production, 2020, University of Denver
Bio: Chandler Fairbanks is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University at Buffalo. His dissertation examines how bisexual individuals fit into the family landscape, with a particular focus on how gender and sexual identity shape romantic relationships among sexual minority couples. His work explores how these identities intersect in ways that can both complement and complicate relationship experiences.
Chandler also works on collaborative projects examining relationship quality and health within interracial couples, the effects of adult children's stressors on parents' cognitive functioning and how attitudes toward marriage predict risk-taking behaviors during the transition to adulthood. He teaches Basic Statistics for the Social Sciences and Sociology of Families, using hands-on opportunities to help students apply sociological methods to real-world questions. His research on sexual minorities in romantic relationships received the Nathalie Devine Howe Award for Outstanding Scholarship and a grant from the Mark Diamond Research Fund.
Recent Courses Taught:
- SOC 313: Sociology of Families
- SOC 294: Basic Statistics for Social Sciences
Publications:
- Fairbanks, Chandler. 2026. “Bisexual Identity, Stress, and Romantic Relationships.” Family Relations.
- Fairbanks, Chandler and Mary Nell Trautner. 2025. “What’s in a Name? Gender and Power in Popular Music, 1960–2019.” Men and Masculinities.
Conference Presentations:
- Fairbanks, Chandler. 2026. “Attitudes toward Sexually Diverse Partnerships: Evidence from an Experimental Study.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, NY.
- Fairbanks, Chandler, Kristen Schultz Lee, Christopher Dennison, Ashley Barr, Rachel Zhang, Laura Sills and Sophia Olsinski. 2026. “Social Foreground Effects, Caregiving Relationships, and Older Adults’ Cognitive Health.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, NY.
Email: cnfairba@buffalo.edu