Hello, and welcome! I am a Provostial Fellow and Lecturer at Stanford University, in the Department of Political Science, and an alumni affiliate of the Identities & Ideologies project. I received my Ph.D. in Politics from New York University in 2024. My dissertation – “Myths and Monuments: Ideological Tools of Dominance and Symbolic Change” – received the 2025 E. E. Schattschneider Award for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of American government by the American Political Science Association (APSA), and is the co-winner of the best dissertation award in the APSA Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section. I am on the 2025-2026 TT Job Market.

My scholarly interests lie in identity group politics, where I use a mix of observational and experimental methods to study how symbols, narratives, and ideologies are used to maintain or challenge inter-group hierarchies and coalitions. My research primarily focuses on the United States, where I study the conditions under which dominant groups deploy educational and cultural tools to sustain group hierarchies and status, and what the social and political consequences of these strategies are. My work is published in the Journal of Politics and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics.

I hold an S.M. in Technology and Policy from MIT and a B.A./B.S. in Economics and Environmental Economics and Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to graduate school, I worked as a researcher in DEC at the World Bank Group. Outside of my academic life, I enjoy running, playing piano, and am avid dabbler in photography, collage art, and beginner improv.

email: rrahnama [at] stanford [dot] edu

cv: here (updated 12/27/2025)

google scholar: here

twitter/X: @roxannerahnama