The Institute for Social Research has announced that Pauline Jones will be the next director of the Center for Political Studies.

Jones is a research professor in CPS and a professor of political science in LSA. 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. 

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 U-M’s Islamic Studies Program (2011-14) and the International Institute (2014-20).

Jones will assume this new role after being on sabbatical for the 2025-26 academic year as a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. 

During this time, Michael Traugott will serve as interim director for CPS, effective Sept. 1. Traugott has served in numerous leadership roles at ISR, including as director of CPS (2014-15). 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.