Alex Mierke-Zatwarnicki

Welcome! I am soon-to-be a Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University, based at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. I previously held postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the European University Institute. I received my Ph.D. in Government from Harvard in 2023.

My research focuses on party organization and group mobilization in Western Europe, in macro-historical perspective. Across assorted papers and an ongoing book project, I study how political parties mobilize new group identities into politics, and the conditions that shape their strategies. You can read more about my work here. 

I have previously held visiting positions at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, and the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship in Montreal. Prior to my PhD, I received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto, both in political science.