Thad Kousser

Thad Kousser is Professor of Political Science who joined UC San Diego's faculty in 2003 and studies American state and national politics, voting reforms, direct democracy, and trust in elections. He served a Chair of the Department of Political Science, co-chair of the Senate-Administration Workshop on the Future of Graduate Education, co-Director of the Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research, co-convener of the Council of Chairs, and chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Admissions. His work has been published in journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Political Science Review, the Revue Francaise de Science Politique, the Journal of Politics, and Political Analysis. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University, held the Flinders Fulbright Distinguished Chair at Flinders University in Australia, received UCSD's Academic Senate's Distinguished Teaching Award, served as co-editor of the journals Legislative Studies Quarterly and State Politics and Policy Quarterly, and has worked as a staff assistant in the California, New Mexico, and United States Senates. Kousser also comments on American politics for venues such as NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Politico, and the Los Angeles Times.