Jennifer Gandhi, an Indian American political scientist, has been appointed Dean of Faculty Development at Yale University, focusing on faculty well-being and professional growth.
Indian American political scientist Jennifer Gandhi has been appointed as the Dean of Faculty Development in Yale University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). Her research primarily examines authoritarian regimes and the transitions to and from democracy.
Gandhi, who is a scholar of comparative politics and political economy, currently serves as the deputy dean of Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. She will officially assume her new role as the Phyllis A. Wallace Dean of Faculty Development on January 1, 2027, as announced in a university release.
Before joining Yale in 2022, Gandhi was a faculty member at Emory University, where she chaired the Department of Political Science. In her new position, she will lead various initiatives aimed at enhancing faculty well-being within the FAS, including the existing Scholars as Leaders and Scholars as Learners (SAL2) program. This program provides faculty with professional coaching, leadership development opportunities, and community-building resources.
In addition to overseeing these initiatives, Gandhi will manage special projects related to faculty development, assess how peer institutions support their faculty, and investigate ways the FAS can facilitate faculty growth throughout their careers at Yale.
Gandhi expressed enthusiasm for her new role, stating, “In my role at the Jackson School, I have learned a great deal and have enjoyed working with colleagues there. I see this new role within FAS as a great opportunity to learn more about another part of Yale and to think hard about how we can best support faculty in their commitments as researchers, but also as teachers, mentors, and leaders.”
Her scholarly work focuses on authoritarian regimes and their political dynamics, and she is the author of the award-winning book, “Political Institutions Under Dictatorship” (Cambridge University Press, 2009). Gandhi has also conducted recent research on transitional justice and human rights, particularly in Argentina, illustrating how autocratic regimes utilize political institutions to consolidate power and how opposition parties challenge these incumbents.
Her research spans a global context, drawing on examples from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Current projects include examining the electoral strategies of opposition groups in dictatorships and backsliding democracies, as well as analyzing how autocratic governments alter urban environments to maintain their rule.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Yale, where she instructs courses in Political Science and Global Affairs, Gandhi has contributed to the academic community as an associate editor for the Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy. She also serves on the editorial boards of several prestigious journals, including the American Journal of Political Science and the British Journal of Political Science.
In 2025, she was honored with the title of Howard Wang ’95 Professor of Global Affairs and Political Science and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Since 2024, Gandhi has held the position of deputy dean at the Jackson School, overseeing admissions, curriculum development, and student affairs. She has also chaired or participated in numerous search committees for the FAS, often focusing on joint appointments within the Jackson School.
Furthermore, Gandhi has chaired the Yale Scholars at Risk Committee since 2023, managing the process of bringing scholars seeking refuge from political persecution to Yale. She is also an active member of the Executive Committee of the Jackson School.
Gandhi’s appointment as Dean of Faculty Development marks a significant step in her career, reflecting her commitment to enhancing the academic environment at Yale and supporting faculty in their professional journeys.
The information in this article is based on a university release.