Portes is a leading scholar whose research focuses on understanding major social change.
His seven books and more than 200 articles address such topics as international migration, ethnicity, the informal labor economy, and social theory. Besides his impressive publication record, Portes served as president of the American Sociological Association. He also served as a fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences. During his visit, Portes gave a seminar on social capital to faculty and graduate students in the Department of Sociology. More than sixty faculty and graduate students attended the seminar.