Department Leadership

Winter

I study American politics—with focus on public opinion, political psychology, and gender, race & politics—and methodology—with focus on statistical analysis, research design, and experimental methods. I joined the department at UVa in the Fall of 2006; prior to that I held a tenure track position in the Government Department at Cornell; worked as a policy researcher at Policy Studies Associates in Washington, DC; and worked as a political campaign consultant, also in Washington. I received my Ph.D.

Waldner

David Waldner (Ph.D. Berkeley) is interested in the formation of the modern state, the political economy of economic development, and the origins of democracy and dictatorship. He also writes on qualitative methods of causal inference. His most recent book is Rethinking the Resource Curse.

Potter

Rachel Augustine Potter is an Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on the hidden politics of procedure and process in American political institutions, with a particular focus on the bureaucracy and regulation.

Milkis

Sidney M. Milkis is the White Burkett Miller Professor in the Department of Politics and Director of the Honors Politics Program. He was awarded the Cavaliers’ Distinguished Teaching Professorship for 2018-2020, the highest teaching award at the University of Virginia, which recognizes an eminent scholar for outstanding undergraduate teaching. In 2016-2017, he was named the John G. Winant Visiting Professor of American Government at Oxford University. He has a B.A. from Muhlenberg College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Meng

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. My research centers on authoritarian politics, institutions, and elite powersharing. My book, Constraining Dictatorship: From Personalized Rule to Institutionalized Regimes (Cambridge University Press, 2020), examines how executive constraints become established in dictatorships, particularly within constitutions and presidential cabinets.

Kruks-Wisner

I am an Associate Professor of Politics & Global Studies at the University of Virginia, where I teach classes on global development, citizen-state relations, local politics, and field methods. Prior to joining UVA, I was an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College. I received a Ph.D.

Kirkland

Justin Kirkland is an associate professor of politics and policy at the University of Virginia where he specializes in American Politics. His research interests center on representation, legislative politics, state politics, and public opinion. He has published more than 30 peer reviewed articles in journals like American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and The Journal of Politics.

Lawless

Jennifer L. Lawless is the Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia and the Chair of the Politics Department. She also has affiliations with UVA’s Miller Center and the Batten School. Jen’s research focuses on political ambition, campaigns and elections, and media and politics. She is the author or co-author of eight books, including News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement (with Danny Hayes) and It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office (with Richard L. Fox).

Search form