Faculty Experts

Ethan Porter

Ethan Porter is an Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs and of Political Science at George Washington University. He holds appointments in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Political Science Department and is the Cluster Lead of the Misinformation/Disinformation Lab at GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Communication and other journals. 

Lucia Rafanelli

Lucia M. Rafanelli is an Assistant Professor of Political Science & International Affairs at the George Washington University. Rafanelli’s primary research interests include contemporary political theory, global justice, theories of human rights, and the ethics of resistance. She also has philosophical interests in collective agency and ethics and artificial intelligence.

Richard Ricciardi

Richard Ricciardi is an associate dean for Clinical Practice & Community Engagement in the George Washington University School of Nursing and the executive director for the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at GW.

Kathleen Roche

Kathleen Roche is professor of prevention and community health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her research focuses on anti-immigration rhetoric and deportation policies that can affect Latino families living in the United States. Roche’s studies show that such rhetoric and actions can lead to mental health

Sara Rosenbaum

Sara Rosenbaum, is Professor Emerita of Health Law and Policy and Founding Chair of the Department of Health Policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. She also holds an emerita title School of Law. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Boston University Law School, Professor Rosenbaum has devoted her career to issues of health justice, and health care for medically underserved populations.

Jasmine Smith

Jasmine Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at George Washington University. She studies American Politics with a focus on Race, Ethnicity and Politics, political behavior, and representation. Smith’s work examines how Black American’s racial identity shapes political attitudes and behavior, and interactions with political institutions. Her most recent book project, Electability Politics: How and Why Black Americans Vote in Primary Elections asks: How do Black Americans make vote choice decisions in primary elections? 

Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson is an assistant professor of political science at George Washington University. His research studies how racial demographic changes alter political perceptions and democratic commitments. Further, he explores how racial demographic changes motivate stronger support for anti-democratic practices among the American public. He shows that partisan considerations are central to understanding how Americans process information about the changing U.S. demographic landscape, and how supportive they are of anti-democratic policies. 

Elizabeth Vaquera

Elizabeth Vaquera is the inaugural Director of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and an Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University. Vaquera's research focuses on vulnerable and diverse groups, particularly Latinos/as and immigrants. Her work has analyzed the character and importance of immigrant status, race, and ethnic identity in outcomes such as education, health, and emotional and social well-being. In addition to an extensive body of work published in leading peer-reviewed journals, Vaquera is the co-author of several books, the most recent of which, Education and Immigration, examines the educational experiences of immigrants and their children living in the U.S.

Christopher Warshaw

Christopher Warshaw, an associate professor of political science at the George Washington University, is an expert on redistricting, American politics, representation, public opinion, as well as state and local politics.