Robert Merton was one of the leading sociologists of the 20th century.  His name was so closely connected with the emergence and recognition of Sociology of Science as a subfield of sociology. In 1966, Merton co-founded (with Joseph Ben-David) ISA’s Research Committee 23 – Sociology of Science (and Technology), and then became its first President until 1974. He also served as Associate Member of the ISA Executive Committee in 1970-71. Merton was born in Philadelphia…

In this interview Dr. Jaime Jimenez (National Autonomous University of Mexico) discusses how he brings his training in physics and mathematics to sociology and how the ""hard sciences"" can be applied to the study of social problems. This is part of a series of interviews with the 22 members of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (ISA). The interviews can be found at the ISA website:http://www.isa-sociology.org/