Dear Rice Political Science Ph.D. Alumni,
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying a productive yet restful summer wherever this email finds you. As I finish my first year as chair, I am deeply grateful for the incredibly warm welcome I have received at Rice. Coming into this role, I was aware of the department's stellar reputation, but experiencing the genuine kindness, brilliance, and dedication of colleagues, students, and alumni first-hand has been the true highlight of my first year.
Building on the foundation left by my predecessor, Ashley Leeds, this has been a year of meaningful growth in the department. We successfully welcomed two new undergraduate majors — Global Affairs and Social Policy Analysis — to the Political Science community. We will welcome two new colleagues to the department starting in the Fall 2026 semester. Managing these changes requires collective effort, and we are fortunate that the department continues to be supported by an amazing staff that has not lost a step even through a year of transition.
Through it all, the productivity and scholarly success of our faculty and students have been nothing short of inspiring. This newsletter brings you up to speed on everything from student awards to groundbreaking scholarship that is truly making its mark on the field. Looking back on what the department has accomplished, I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead in the 2026-2027 academic year.
I hope you will take a moment to update your listing on our Ph.D. Alumni Directory. You can use this form to enter any relevant changes, or send us an email to polisci@rice.edu.
Guillermo Rosas
Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science
Chair
Kenneth Lowande will join our department this year after ten years of service at the University of Michigan. Professor Lowande studies American politics, with a focus on the presidency, bureaucratic agencies, and Congress. His monograph, False Front: The Failed Promise of Presidential Power, won the 2025 Neustadt Award for best book on the American presidency.
Also joining our department this year, Oren Samet comes to us following a year as the Einstein-Moos Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Professor Samet was awarded the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the APSA International Collaboration Section for his project Challenging Autocrats Abroad: Opposition Parties on the International Stage.
Prof. Jung's new monograph, Shared Morals: The Role of Moral Rhetoric in Party Politics (February 2026), moves beyond standard narratives of polarization to explore how moral rhetoric can highlight common ground and bridge partisan divides in Western democracies.
Prof. Raychaudhuri's The Social Roots of Asian American Partisanship: From Political Learning to Partisan Leanings explores how the diverse and rapidly growing Asian American community develops political attitudes, demonstrating that local peer groups and communities heavily shape these partisan preferences. Tanika's monograph has been recognized by APSA as the 2026 Best Book in Race, Ethnicity, and Representation.
Prof. Schwindt-Bayer was honored with the School of Social Sciences Distinguished Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to research and mentorship in our discipline. She joins Randy Stevenson in our department, who was distinguished with this prize in 2025.
Bob Stein, the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the School of Social Sciences, passed away on July 18, 2025. He dedicated 46 years to Rice University and the city of Houston, transforming public policy education, co-founding the Center for Civic Leadership, and being named co-director of the new Center for Voting. His friends and colleagues gathered on September 5, 2025, to celebrate a towering legacy that continues to shape our university through the many initiatives he set in motion.
To honor Bob's legacy and support the causes he championed, please consider a gift to the Robert M. "Bob" Stein Fund for Social Policy Research. The Stein fund supports student research and community engagement through Rice's Social Policy Analysis program.
After years of exemplary service, Ann Mikus has retired as our Department Administrator. Aki Shimada steps into the role, bringing extensive Rice administrative experience from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and from the Office of the Dean of the School of Social Sciences. Please join us in welcoming her to the department!
We celebrate the well-deserved promotion of Norma Lara, a long-time pillar of the front office. Norma's remit as Program Administrator includes managing the department's undergraduate and graduate programs. Joining us in the front office as Department Coordinator is Yoselin Lara, our newest staff member. If you have a chance, please stop by the front desk to say hello!
On April 16, 2026, Amorae Times defended her dissertation. We appreciate the presence of her advisor, Professor Songying Fang, who briefly joined us from China to celebrate Amorae's achievement. Congratulations, Dr. Times!
Conner Joyce accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs at IE University (Fall 2026). He also received the prestigious 2026 John W. Gardner Award for Best Dissertation in the Social Sciences for Three Essays on Cyber Conflict and International Relations, and his research was also recognized by APSA and SPSA.
The university-wide Vaughn Fellowship, recognizing outstanding graduate achievement and promise, was awarded this year to Agustin Prinetti.
The Hobby Award for best political science paper at a professional conference went to Trang Huynh for Autonomy Amid Great Power Competition: Foreign Aid and Recipient's Policy Concessions, presented at the International Studies Association Meeting in March 2026.
Political Science (POLI)
How to Cancel a Pipeline: Explaining Movement Repression and Success in Environmental Conflicts
From Distrust to Dislike: Government Trust and Affective Polarization
Distinction in Research: Ethan Schott
Social Policy Analysis (SOPA)