People

The faculty, students, and alumni who make up the Democracy and Fair Elections Lab.

Faculty

Christian GroseCG

Christian Grose

Director, Democracy and Fair Elections Lab — Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, USC

Christian Grose is a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, Director of the Democracy and Fair Elections Lab. He has served as Academic Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy from 2018 to 2026. One of USC’s most prolific researchers, he has more than 60 publications on topics such as elections, Congress, representation, redistricting, and voting rights in journals such as the American Political Science Review. His book Congress in Black and White won an American Political Science Association award and is a go-to book for understanding redistricting and race. Grose has led major research initiatives, including nonpartisan democracy grants to expand voter access, and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR. As Director of USC’s Democracy and Fair Elections Lab, he trains students and future colleagues to produce the most rigorous research around mapmaking, redistricting, and voting rights. He has served as an expert witness in major redistricting and voting rights cases, and is frequently consulted by policy advocates, state and local governments, policy makers, and academic researchers on issues related to election institutions, congressional redistricting, and election reforms – especially in California. He holds a B.A. from Duke University and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester.

Alumni

Ph.D. Alumni

José Javier AlcocerJJ

José Javier Alcocer

Ph.D., Data Scientist, Harvard Law School

Jose Javier Alcocer is an Applied Research Statistician at Harvard Law School, where he conducts research on how formal institutions and informal power structures determine who has a political voice. His work focuses on inequality, electoral systems, political representation and democratic accountability. He uses quantitative research methods, including machine learning and natural language processing, to explore these topics. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations and an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Southern California, where he served as a Graduate Research Associate in the Democracy and Fair Elections Lab.

Raquel CentenoRC

Raquel Centeno

Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology

Raquel Centeno is a Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar at the Caltech Linde Center for Science, Society, and Policy. Her research focuses on affective polarization, the influence of racial and ethnic identity on political attitudes, voting behavior, electoral systems, and intergroup relations. She uses quantitative methods to explore these topics, including surveys and experiments. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from California Lutheran University and her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California.

Jarred CuellarJC

Jarred Cuellar

Ph.D., Associate Professor, California Polytechnic, Pomona

Jarred Cuellar is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His research focuses on Latino political behavior and public opinion in the United States, with particular attention to how religious and cultural identities influence voting behavior and political attitudes. He uses quantitative methods to study public opinion and forecast electoral outcomes. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California.

Matt NelsonMN

Matt Nelson

Ph.D., Survey Scientist, Amazon

Matt Nelson is a Survey Research Scientist at Amazon, where he conducts quantitative research on brand perception, reputation, and competitive strategy. He uses statistical modeling, surveys, and machine learning to analyze public opinion. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California, where his research focused on electoral competition and redistricting.

Sara SadhwaniSS

Sara Sadhwani

Ph.D., Associate Professor, Pomona College

Sara Sadhwani is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Pomona College. Her research focuses on voting behavior, public policy, and electoral representation, with an emphasis on racial, ethnic, and immigrant communities. She has served on California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, where she helped redraw congressional and state legislative district boundaries after the 2020 Census. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California.

Joseph SaracenoJS

Joseph Saraceno

Ph.D., Data Scientist

Joseph Saraceno is a Lead Data Scientist at UCLA where he supports research on political representation for the Berggruen Institute. His work focuses on the use of quantitative analysis to study minority representation in the United States. Previously, he worked as a Researcher for Meta and a Survey Statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations and a Master’s degree in Applied Economics and Econometrics from the University of Southern California.

Nicholas NapolioNN

Nicholas Napolio

Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of California, Riverside

Nicholas Napolio is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California. His research focuses on American political institutions, particularly the bureaucracy, Congress, and the separation of powers, using causal inference and computational social science methods to study how bureaucrats pursue policy goals despite presidential or congressional opposition and how legislative institutions shape policy outcomes over time. His work has appeared in journals including the American Political Science Review, American Politics Research, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and State Politics & Policy Quarterly, among others.

Undergraduate Alumni