News

Weidenbaum Center Speaker John Inazu wins religion scholar award

5.14.26 | WashU The Source

Professor Inazu, the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion at WashU Law, received Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance 2026 Senior Scholar Award.

New study by Weidenbaum Center grant recipients Christopher Lucas, Jacob Montgomery, and Margit Tavits reveals when and why political parties engage voters in multiple languages

5.13.26 | WashU The Source

The authors analyzed 4 million Facebook posts made by political parties between 2016 and 2022 to develop the first classification of monolingual and multilingual parties around the world.

Former Weidenbaum Center Graduate Affiliate Alejandro Gonzalez to work as research economist at the Central Bank of Peru

5.11.26

We wish Dr. Alejandro Gonzalez the best of luck in his new role!

Weidenbaum Center Postdoctoral Fellow Hwayong Shin examines Americans' trust in political institutions and how it varies across political and social cleavages

5.7.26

Data from the Weidenbaum Center Survey (Waves 6-8; May 2025, October 2025, and February-March 2026) reveal how much Americans trust political institutions and whether that trust diverges across partisanship, region, and employment status.

Weidenbaum Center Faculty Research Fellow Michael Strawbridge named 2026 Andrew Carnegie fellow

5.6.26 | The Ampersand

As the first WashU recipient of the Andrew Carnegie fellowship, Professor Strawbridge plans to study what unites Black Americans politically, and how this cohesion has been sustained across generations despite the polarization of American politics.

Weidenbaum Center Research Fellow Travis Crum comments on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to gut a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act

5.4.26 | Stateline

Crum says he thinks we’re definitely going to see the impact of the decision at the state level after 2030.

Congratulations to Weidenbaum Center Speaker Liz Chiarello on being selected as a Princeton Institute for Advanced Study Fellow

5.4.26 | Institute of Advanced Study website

Congrats to Weidenbaum Center Speaker and Associate Professor of Sociology Liz Chiarello for being selected as a 2026–27 Member in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. Liz will be in residence at Princeton for the upcoming academic year.

Weidenbaum Center Grant Recipient Caitlyn Collins comments on the big business of breastfeeding

4.30.26 | Marie Claire

Collins says products and services do not make a community. They help ease the hurt of living without one.

Weidenbaum Center Grant Recipient Youngseok Shin comments on AI adoption at work

4.30.26 | St. Louis Magazine

Shin says employees often need time set aside by their bosses to experiment with tools or formalized AI training.

Congratulations to Weidenbaum Center Graduate Fellow Alex Avery for receiving the 2026 Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence

4.30.26 | Office of Graduate Studies

Winners of the award demonstrate advanced pedagogical skills, develop innovative materials and lessons, and/or refine feedback mechanisms that have significant impacts on student learning and engagement.

Weidenbaum Center Speaker Simón Ríos reports on how parking spot fight dispute led to man in ICE custody

4.29.26 | WBUR Boston

Video of Alejandro Orrego Agudelo’s arrest put him at the center of a debate over ICE staking out Massachusetts courthouses.

Big cheers to our Weidenbaum Center faculty affiliates (Costas Azariadis, Steve Fazzari, James Gibson, and Ping Wang) heading into retirement

4.27.26 | The Ampersand

Sending heartfelt well wishes to our Weidenbaum Center–affiliated faculty members Steve Fazzari (Resident Fellow and former Director), Costas Azariadis (Grant Recipient), James Gibson (Grant Recipient), and Ping Wang (Grant Recipient) as they embark on their upcoming retirement. Your dedication, insight, and impact have shaped countless students, colleagues, and conversations. Wishing you all the best in this exciting new chapter!