Betsy Sinclair

Betsy Sinclair is the Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, Chair of Political Science, and Assistant Vice Provost of Digital Transformations at Washington University in St Louis. Previous service at WashU has included a term as co-director for the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures and President of the Society of Political Methodology.

Sinclair is known for her pioneering work at the intersection of technology and political behavior. Her work focuses on how politics influence social relationships, and her recent research measures language patterns of elected representatives to understand dynamics of power and influence. Starting her career as part of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, Sinclair’s scholarship in voting and elections has ranged from evaluating the consequences of different voting technologies to building a nuanced understanding of institutions that increase trust in government. Her work has informed public policies on election reform and resilient political institutions.

Sinclair is a fellow for the Society of Political Methodology and serves on the editorial boards of several political and public policy journals, including the American Journal of Political Science and the Journal of Behavioral Public Administration. Her research has been funded by several grants from the National Science Foundation and the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy. She has authored two books, including The Social Citizen, winner of the Gladys M. Kammerer Award from the American Political Science Association.

Sinclair earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Redlands and a PhD in social science from the California Institute of Technology.