Job Placement & Achievements
Our graduate students have also earned many prestigious awards and prizes.
Recent Dissertations
View our graduate students' recent dissertations.
Subfield Placement History
Learn more about our graduate students' placement history by subfield.
Featured Alumni
Learn more about our past graduate students' achievements and experiences in our department.
We have an excellent placement record for doctoral students. Most graduates have initially obtained tenure-track positions or post-doctoral fellowships at leading universities and colleges. Following is the placement history of our recent graduates.
Current & Initial Doctoral Program Graduate Placement
Pedro Accorsi Amaral; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Notre Dame University
Tracey Blasenheim; IR; Initial Placement: Instructor, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Seo Nyeong (Holly) Jo; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Moravian University
María José "Majo" Méndez Gutiérrez; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Emily Mitamura; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Pembroke Postdoctoral Fellow, Brown University
Ashley Sorensen; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, College of Wooster
Yakasah Wehyee; CP; Current & Initial Placement Director, Achieve Twin Cities
Paula Armendariz Miranda; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Senior Research Analyst, PYMNTS
Samarjit Ghosh; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Ozyegin University
Rachael Houston; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Texas Christian University
Ivan Jucá; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, FGV CEPSP
Siyu Li; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Research Analyst, Minnesota's 4th Judicial District
Oanh Nguyen; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Policy Analyst, Oregon Legislative BIPOC Caucus
Carly Potz-Nielsen; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, Technical University of Munich
María Sanchez; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Colorado College
Patrick Snyder; CP; Current Placement: Qualitative UX Researcher, Pinterest; Initial Placement: Qualitative UX Researcher, Facebook
Logan Stundal; IR; Current Placement: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Virginia Humanitarian Collaborative; Initial Placement: Instructor, University of Michigan
Farrah Tek; IR; Current & Initial Placement: User Experience Researcher, Royal Bank of Canada
Mihaela Toza; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Parliamentary Consultant, Autoritatea Electorala Permanenta
Katrina Heimark; CP; Current Placements: Lecturer, Century College, University of Minnesota - Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin - River Falls; Initial Placement: Lecturer, University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Robert Ralston; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Profesor, University of Birmingham; Initial Placement: Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellow, International Security Program
Kristin Lunz Trujillo; CP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina - Columbia; Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, COVID States Project, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, Harvard University
Lucas Franco; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Research Manager, LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota
Shai Gortler; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Humanities Research (CHR), University of the Western Cape
José Kaire; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Arizona State University - Tempe
Thomas Vargas Castro; CP; Current Placement: Research Lead, New Power Labs; Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, McMaster University
Elena Gambino; PT; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Rutgers University; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Bates College
Jennifer Halen; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Graduate Fellow, Harvard University
Elif Kalaycioglu; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa; Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance, Princeton University
Florencia Montal; IR; Current Placement: Independent Researcher & Consultant; Initial Placement: Assistant Research Professor, Universidad Torcuato di Tella
Ahmad Munhazim; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
Avram Munoz; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Our Lady of the Lake University; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College
Charmaine Chua; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of California - Santa Barbara
Holly Dunn; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Southern Florida
Daniel Henry; CP; Current & Initial Placement: Associate Attorney, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago
Chase Hobbs-Morgan; PT; Current Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, University of California - Santa Barbara; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Oberlin College
Garnet Kindervater; IR; Current Placement: Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University; Initial Placement: Visiting Scholar, Dartmouth College
Ore Koren; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Indiana University - Bloomington; Initial Placement: Affiliated Faculty, Vincent & Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University - Bloomington
Matthew Motta; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Public Health; Initial Placement: Affiliated Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale Law School
Bryan Nakayama; IR; Current Placement: Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, Merck; Initial Placement: Visiting Lecturer, Mount Holyoke College
Adam Olson; AP; Current Placement: Senior Data Scientist, Be The Match; Initial Placement: Data Scientist, Colle McVoy
Quynh Pham; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of San Francisco
Aaron Rosenthal; AP; Current Placement: Senior Research Specialist, Council on Criminal Justice; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Simmons University
Brianna Smith; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, United States Naval Academy
Jennifer Spindel; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire - Durham; Initial Placement: Fellow, Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College
Emily Baer-Bositis; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor and MA Program Director, University of New Hampshire - Durham; Initial Placement: Visiting Scholar, Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, American Political Science Association
Sema Binay; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Owner & Producer, fotosanayii
Christina Farhart; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Carleton College
Lucas Lockhart; CP; Current Placement: Special Review Auditor, Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor; Initial Placement: Customer Due Diligence Analyst, US Bank
Tom Pryor; AP; Current Placement: Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center at Mitchell Hamline School of Law; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Macalester College
Paul Snell; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Pacific University
David Temin; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
Sergio Valverde; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Medical Interpreter & Health Policy Researcher, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Robert Asaadi; IR; Current & Initial Placement: Instructor, Portland State University
Timothy Callaghan; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Boston University; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
Brooke Coe; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Initial Placement: Predoctoral Research Fellow, Georgetown University
Ashley English; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Associate Professor, University of North Texas
Caleb Goltz; PT; Current Placement: Assistant Professor and Director of Legal Studies and Legal Skills, St. Thomas University; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Hartwick College
Kevin Lucas; CP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Capital University; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Lycoming College
Andrew Lucius; IR; Current Placement: Solutions Architect, Databricks; Initial Placement: Research Manager, Hennepin County Attorney's Office
Matthew Luttig; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Colgate University; Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Chicago
Zein Murib; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Fordham University; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Fordham University
Maron Sorenson; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Bowdoin College
Josh Anderson; PT; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College; Initial Placements: Lecturer, Augsburg College, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Aaron Beitman; IR; Current Placement: Chief Financial Officer, Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs; Initial Placement: Fiscal Policy Analyst, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Phil Chen; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Denver; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Macalester College
Ralitsa Donkova; IR; Current Placement: Policy Analyst, REPowerEU (DG ECFIN); Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Colgate University
Ross Edwards; PT; Current Placement: Associate Professor and Dean of Academic Affairs for the Traditional Undergraduate Program, Albertus Magnus College; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Albertus Magnus College
Darrah McCracken; IR; Current Placement: Political Scientist; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Western Oregon University
Magic Wade; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Associate Professor, University of Illinois - Springfield
Ilya Winham; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Academic Advisor II & Lecturer, The University of Georgia
Amanda Bryan; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Loyola University - Chicago; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Loyola University - Chicago
Matthew Cravens; AP; Current Placement: Senior Data Analyst, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Douglas County, KS; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor & Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, Dartmouth College
Adam Dahl; PT; Current Placement: Associate Professor: University of Massachusetts - Amherst; Initial Placement: Lecturer, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
M. David Forrest; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor and Chair of Law and Society, Oberlin College and Conservatory; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor: Arizona State University
Charles Gregory; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University
Michael Julius; AP; Current & Initial Placement: Lecturer, Coastal Carolina University
Giovanni Mantilla; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Cambridge; Initial Placement: Fellow, British Academy Newton
Eli Meyerhoff; PT; Current Placement: Lab Staff Coordinater, Franklin Humanities Institute; Initial Placement: Instructor, Duke University
Anthony Pahnke; CP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, San Francisco State University; Initial Placement: Lecturer, St. Olaf College
Henry Thomson; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Arizona State University - Tempe; Initial Placement: Lecturer, Worcester College, University of Oxford
Shaun Williams-Wyche; CP; Current Placement: Associate Director of Research and Data Analysis, Midwestern Higher Education Compact; Initial Placement: Research Analyst, Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Ismail Yaylaci; IR; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Istanbul Sehir University; Initial Placement: Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Center for Strategic Studies
Jonas Bunte; IR; Current Placement: Professor, Vienna University of Economics and Business; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Texas - Dallas
Geoffrey Dancy; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Toronto; Initial Placement: Associate Professor, Tulane University
Matthew Dean Hindman; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Tulsa; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Tulsa
Mark Hoffman; IR; Current Placement: Dean of the General Course and Global Mobility, London School of Economics and Political Science; Initial Placement: Visiting Professor, Vassar College
Elizabeth Sharrow; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts - Amherst; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Geoffrey Sheagley; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Georgia; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota - Duluth
Laura Thaut Vinson; CP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Lewis & Clark College; Initial Placement: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College
Zhen Wang; CP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University
Jennifer Gagnon; PT; Current & Initial Placement: Lecturer, University of British Columbia
Caitlin Jewitt; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
Denis Kennedy; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, College of the Holy Cross; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee University
Serena Laws; AP; Current Placement: Assistant Prof, Trinity College; Initial Placement: Visiting Scholar, Johns Hopkins University
Jennifer Lobasz; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Delaware; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Delaware
Moira Lynch; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin - River Falls; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, Loyola University - Maryland
Veronica Michel; IR; Associate Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice - CUNY; Initial Placement: Assistant Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice - CUNY
Adriano Udani; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Missouri - St. Louis; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College
Vincent Vecera; AP; Current Placement: Associate Professor, Randolph College; Initial Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, Gustavus Adolphus College
Lauren Wilcox; IR; Current Placement: Associate Professor, University of Cambridge; Initial Placement: Charles and Amy Scharf Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University