Congratulations to Professor Pauline Jones for being selected as part of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) 2025-26 fellows class at Stanford University!

Since its inception in 1954, researchers associated with the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University have explored vexing questions and concerns. They have created and extended knowledge of our world, and continue to do so. The Center’s annual mix of distinguished thinkers of proven accomplishment facilitates advanced thinking and research. They study contemporary societal problems and contribute to evidence-based policy and solutions. CASBS, sitting on a bucolic hill above Stanford University, is renowned for providing a home for scholars engaged in pioneering research. In the 20th century, this was undertaken largely through individual projects. The nurturing of such pursuits endures. In the 21st century, progress on theoretical, empirical, and societally important questions increasingly requires multiple perspectives and cross-disciplinary teams. Today, the Center is an epicenter for short- and long-term research networks, projects, and workshops. This reimagining of CASBS supports both individual research and creative collaboration.

Pauline Jones is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan (UM) and the Edie N. Goldenberg Endowed Director for the Michigan in Washington Program. She is also the Founder and Director of the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum (DISC). Previously, she served as the Director of UM’s Islamic Studies Program (2011-14) and International Institute (2014-20). Her past work has contributed broadly to the study of institutional origin, change, and impact in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). She is currently engaged in multiple research projects: exploring how state regulation of religion in Muslim-majority states affects citizens’ political attitudes and behavior; identifying the factors that affect compliance with health mitigation policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic; examining the influence that evoking historical memory has on public support for foreign assistance; and developing a toolkit to assess the impact of mass protest on policy change in authoritarian regimes.