Mentoring Statement
Hilary Izatt鈥檚 mentoring philosophy is grounded in the belief that strong faculty-student relationships can profoundly shape students鈥 academic and personal trajectories. As a first-generation college graduate, she recognizes that she would not be where she is today without faculty mentors who invested in her both professionally and personally. She believes that mentorship extends beyond the classroom and that, for many students, having someone who genuinely believes in their potential can make a transformative difference. Her approach emphasizes accessibility, encouragement, intellectual growth, and helping students build the confidence to see themselves as capable scholars and leaders.
Background
Hilary Izatt is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at 麻豆社, SUNY, with a courtesy appointment in Asian Studies. Her research sits at the intersection of political psychology, political behavior, and political institutions, with a particular focus on how political institutions shape citizens鈥 emotional and behavioral responses to democracy, representation, and participation. Drawing on both comparative and American politics, especially in Asia and the United States, she studies the psychological consequences of electoral suppression, institutional manipulation, democratic erosion, and political inequality using experimental and mixed-methods approaches, including randomized control trials.
Her work examines why institutional barriers and unequal political systems discourage participation among some citizens while motivating resistance and mobilization among others. Much of her research focuses on democratic development and political behavior in Asia, particularly Malaysia and the Korean Peninsula, while also connecting these dynamics to contemporary debates about polarization, voting rights, public health, and democratic backsliding in the United States. She also conducts research on the relationship between public health and democracy, including how political inequality manifests in voting behavior and electoral turnout. Across this work, she develops new theoretical and methodological tools for understanding how emotions influence political action under conditions of political conflict and institutional inequality.
Select Publications
- "Reviving Democracy and Public Health: Physician-led Get-out-the-vote as an Antidote to Democratic Backsliding." Forthcoming, American Journal of Public Health. With Michael Shepherd, Kelly Hunter, Daniel Nielson, et. al.
- "Abortion Politics: Physician Mobilization in the Wake of Dobbs." With Kelly Hunter, Michael E. Shepherd, and Eve Bryner. Forthcoming at Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.
- 鈥淎ttitudes Surrounding Fairness and Competition in Sports Predict Choices to Partisan Gerrymander.鈥 With Sam Fuller. Political Behavior, August 2026.
- 鈥淪eeing Red: How Gerrymandering Emotionally Mobilizes Turnout.鈥 Political Psychology, 2025.
- 鈥淧arent Perspectives on Civic Engagement Promotion in Healthcare Settings.鈥 With Margaret N. Jones, Tessa Doan, Lauren Lipps, Tierra Dennis, et. al. Pediatrics 155, no. 3 (2025)
Education
- PhD in Political Science, University of Michigan
- MA in Political Science, Georgetown University
- MA in Korean Studies and Politics, SOAS University of London
- BA in Political Science and History (minor), Brigham Young University
Research Interests
- Political Psychology
- Political Behavior
- Experimental Political Science
- Electoral Suppression
- Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior
- Democratic Backsliding and Democratic Resilience
- Emotions and Politics
- Comparative Politics
- Asian Politics
Teaching Interests
- Political Psychology
- Political Behavior
- Elections and Voting Behavior
- Comparative Politics of Asia
- Korean Politics
- Democratic Backsliding
- Comparative Authoritarianism
- Experimental Methods and Research Design
Awards
- American Political Science Association Best Dissertation in Political Psychology Award
- American Political Science Association Centennial Research Grant (2023)
- National Science Foundation (APSA) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (2022)
- Career Champion Award, 麻豆社 Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development (2024, 2025)