We are pleased to announce that Sunshine Hillygus has been named the new Director of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Duke University. It is a well-deserved appointment for someone who has been a cornerstone of this community for years.
If you have spent any time around SSRI, you already know Sunshine. She has been a Professor of Political Science at Duke since 2015 and a Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy since 2016. She knows SSRI deeply, having most recently served as its Interim Director while simultaneously leading several of Duke’s most impactful research and academic initiatives. In addition to directing SSRI, Sunshine also serves as Director of the Triangle Research Data Center (TRDC), oversees the Master in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) program, and is Co-Director of the Polarization Lab, further strengthening the institute’s connections across data, research, and training.
At Duke, she leads the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology (DISM) and co-directs the Polarization Lab, where she explores how technology shapes political attitudes and civic engagement. She has directed DISM since 2010, giving her an exceptionally strong command of SSRI’s resources, staff, and research community. DISM supports high-quality survey research and helps researchers across Duke design and implement data collection projects.
Sunshine is a leading expert in American political behavior, elections, public opinion, and survey methods, and is the author of several influential books including Making Young Voters (2020), The Persuadable Voter (2008), and The Hard Count (2006). Her scholarship has shaped how researchers and policymakers alike think about civic participation and democratic processes.
Before joining Duke, she taught at Harvard University from 2003 to 2009, where she served as the Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor of Government and founding director of the Program on Survey Research. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University and her B.A. in political science and Spanish from the University of Arkansas.
Her leadership has also earned wide recognition beyond Duke. She was recently named a 2025 Insight250 winner by ESOMAR, a global organization connecting professionals in data, insights, and market research from more than 130 countries, in recognition of her contributions to survey research and her leadership in advancing rigorous and transparent social science.
Please join us in congratulating Sunshine Hillygus on this exciting new chapter for both her and for SSRI.
Read formal announcement from Office of Interdisciplinary Programs