It was announced today that Assistant Professor Michael Strawbridge has been named a prestigious 2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Strawbridge is one of 24 scholars who will receive a $200,000 research stipend to explore the causes of political polarization and to identify possible solutions.
Strawbridge's research focuses on American politics and quantitative methodology, with an emphasis on race and ethnic politics and political psychology. An expert in Black politics, his work examines how social and cultural contexts shape the political attitudes and behaviors of Black citizens and Black political elites. His research has been published in several leading journals, including Political Communication; Politics, Groups, and Identities; and Political Behavior.
Strawbridge plans to use the fellowship to continue work on his project, "In the Thick of It: The Relationship Among Black People, Black Spaces, and Black Political Unity," which investigates how African American cultural institutions foster Black political unity and collective decision-making. Using Black Americans' unparalleled political cohesion as a case study, he demonstrates how social and cultural institutions can act as a counterweight to increasing political polarization.
"My research reflects my lived experiences as a Black man in America," Strawbridge said. "I’m honored by this award, which affirms the importance of that work and allows me to further demonstrate the central role of Black people and Black culture in shaping the past, present, and future of American politics and life."
Andrew Carnegie Fellows are evaluated on multiple criteria including originality and promise, the potential for impact on the field, and the applicant’s plans for communicating the research findings to a broad audience. More than 700 nominators, including the heads of universities, professional societies, major university presses, and leading news publications, were invited to recommend scholars for consideration. Leading authorities in each field anonymously evaluated all applications. The highest-scoring proposals were then forwarded to the jury. The winners consist of 12 scholars from public universities, 11 from private universities, and one from a public university in Canada. Sixteen are tenured, eight are untenured, and they include 13 men and 11 women.
You can find out more about the fellowship program and the other 2026 fellows on the Carnegie Corporation of New York's website.
