Anna S. Mueller, PhD, is the Luther Dana Waterman Professor in the Department of Sociology, the Senior Research Program Leader of the Mental Illness, Suicide, and Addiction Section of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University, and the Convener of the Indiana Innovation Think Tank for Suicide. Previously, she was a professor at the University of Chicago (from 2015-2019) and the University of Memphis (from 2011-2015). She is also the chair of the Section on Sociology of Mental Health and the past-chair of the Section on Children & Youth of the American Sociological Association and the Principal Investigator of the Social Worlds & Youth Well-being Study and the Connect to Care in Schools Study. She has won numerous early and mid-career awards for her research on youth suicide, including the Edwin S. Shneidman Early Career Award from the American Association of Suicidology.
Mueller’s research agenda examines how social relationships and social contexts shape adolescent health and wellbeing over the transition to adulthood, with a focus on understanding adolescent suicide and suicide clusters. She is a leading expert on youth suicide and suicide prevention in schools and is passionate about helping communities heal after suicide losses.
A sought-after public speaker, she regularly speaks with school districts and communities about strategies to improve their suicide prevention and postvention efforts. Her award winning book – Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them – was published in 2024. Written for a broad audience, the book helps guide families, schools, communities, and even teens themselves in building worlds youth feel are worth living in. The book was described by Malcolm Gladwell as “a devastating work of scholarship” and a “must-read book on youth suicide” by Dr. Rory O’Connor (Past President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention).
Mueller’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Western Colorado Community Foundation, among others. Her research has received multiple awards for its contribution to knowledge, including from the American Sociological Association, the American Pediatrics Association, the Society for Science & the Public, and the American Association of Suicidology.
Her research can be read in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Sociological Theory, Social Science & Medicine, and the American Journal of Public Health, among others. She teaches courses on sociology of health, medicine, mental health, education, children/youth, culture, gender, research methodology, and social statistics.
When she’s not at work, Mueller enjoys being outside, particularly hiking, gardening, or entertaining her cats, and she’s always in the middle of a good novel.
Anna S Mueller, PhD 