Pauline Jones Named Director, Center for Political Studies; Michael Traugott to Serve as Interim Director
August 29, 2025
The Institute for Social Research (ISR) has announced that Professor Pauline Jones will be the next Director of the Center for Political Studies (CPS).
Jones is a Research Professor in CPS and a Professor of Political Science. She holds the Edie N. Goldenberg Endowed Director position for the Michigan in Washington Program. She is also the Founder and Director of the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum (DISC). Jones is an expert on religious repression in Muslim majority countries, the rise and stability of autocratic regimes, and politics in the former Soviet Union (including Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine).
She previously served as Director of UM’s Islamic Studies Program (2011-2014) and the International Institute (2014-2020).
Jones will assume this new role after being on sabbatical for the academic year 2025-2026 as a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University.
During this time, Mike Traugott will serve as Interim Director for CPS, beginning September 1. Traugott has served in numerous leadership roles at ISR, including as Director of CPS (2014-2015). A Research Professor Emeritus with CPS, Traugott is renowned for his work on campaigns and elections, voting behavior, political communication, the use of polls to construct news, and survey methodology.
Ken Kollman has completed his term as CPS Director, with 10 years of service leading CPS as a preeminent, independent research center for the study of politics and society. He will remain connected to CPS as faculty emeritus.