Michael Strawbridge is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. His research interests include American politics and quantitative methodology with an emphasis on developing novel empirical ways to assess and understand the political behavior of racial and ethnic minorities.
Michael Strawbridge is an expert in Black politics, and his research examines how social and environmental factors shape the political attitudes and behaviors of Black citizens and Black political elites. His first book project, In the Thick of It: The Relationship Between Black People, Black Spaces, and Black Political Unity, reconceptualizes Black political attitude formation and introduces a novel concept and measure that captures how Black social networks and institutions influence Black public opinion. His second co-authored book project, On the Rise: Black Women in the Congressional Black Caucus, examines how Black women’s increased presence in the Congressional Black Caucus has shaped its organizational structure and functions, legislative agenda, and representation of Black interests.
His published work has appeared in scholarly and general-interest publications, including Politics, Groups, and Identities, PS: Political Science & Politics, Politics & Gender, and the Washington Post. He is also a Ronald E. McNair Scholar (2017-2018), Ralphe Bunche Summer Institute Scholar (2018), American Political Science Association Minority Fellow (2019-2020), winner of the NYAAPOR Young Public Opinion Scholars Competition (2023), and American Political Science Association Distinguished Junior Scholar in Political Psychology (2023). Most recently, he recently won the Rutgers Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, and he is a 2024-2025 University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He received his PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Before Rutgers, he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Media Studies from Beloit College.
