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The Political Science Post: Meet Graduate Student Daniel Cervantes

Daniel Cervantes is a PhD candidate in UC Santa Barbara's Department of Political Science whose research examines political communication, conspiracy theories, and elite behavior in digital age. Drawing on experiences in the performing arts, public policy, and political communication, Cervantes studies how Congress members strategically engage with misinformation on social media.

The Political Science Post: Meet Graduate Student Taylor Trummel

Taylor Trummel is a political scientist whose research explores immigration, perceptions of fairness, and political identity in the United States. Through her work on state-level immigration policy, she challenges the idea that Latino communities can be treated as a single political bloc. Inspired by personal experience, Trummel’s research examines how policies shape belonging, linked fate, and public attitudes.

The Political Science Post: Meet Our Undergraduates Hannah Weaver and Samira Sinha

What begins in the classroom at UCSB can sometimes grow into something bigger. For political science undergraduates Samira Sinha and Hannah Weaver, a group project in Professor Bimber's Political Communication course led to ongoing research examining how conservative and mainstream media frame federal actions affecting higher education, including the University of California system. This quarter, they have continued refining their research questions and methods, including experimenting with AI to better understand patterns in media coverage.

The Political Science Post: Meet Recent Alumni Julien Labarre

Julien Labarre is a 2024 PhD graduate whose work examines disinformation, populism, and the psychological foundations of illiberalism. Shaped by his upbringing in a conservative region of France, Labarre studies how media, misinformation, and feelings of devaluation shape democratic attitudes. His research introduces the idea of epistemic vulnerability, the weakening of trust in political information that makes it difficult for people to distinguish truth and misinformation.

POLS Club, 2/11, 7-8pm, Ellison 3824

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Congratulations to Alexandre Aloy!

Alexandre has been awarded a Visiting Scholar position at the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University for the 2026–2027 academic year.

In addition, "Revising the Liberal Tradition? Re-Assessing Hayek’s Liberalism Through his Engagement with the Classical World" has been accepted for publication in one of the very best journals in his subfield, the European Journal of Political Theory!

Congratulations to Taylor Trummel!

Taylor Trummel has accepted a tenure track offer as an Assistant Professor of American Politics at Denison University in the Department of Politics and Public Affairs, with a research and teaching emphasis in policy analysis. She will start in Fall 2026.

Colloquium with Helen Milner - Dec 11

Helen V. Milner is a Visiting Scholar with UCSB Political Science through Feb 1, 2026. She is on leave from her positions as B. C. Forbes Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and director of the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs.