Christian Robert Grose is an American political scientist. He is a professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California,[1] academic director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy,[2] and served as director of the Political Science and International Relations PhD Program from 2015 to 2018.[3] He studies behavioral elite decision making in politics, racial and ethnic politics, public policy, voting rights, political representation, and legislative politics.
Early work and education
Grose graduated from Duke University in 1996 with a BA in political science and history. He then attended the University of Rochester, earning a PhD in political science in 2003.
In addition to his published research, in 2020, Grose led a team that administered the USC Schwarzenegger Institute nonpartisan democracy grants to local election administrators to open new polling places,[11] which raised approximately $2.5 million for the University of Southern California. The funds went toward grants to 33 counties in eight states formerly protected by the Voting Rights Act.[12] As part of this initiative, the Schwarzenegger Institute selected five election administrators to win Democracy Action Hero awards including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.[13][14] He is currently conducting research on how best to improve voter access and voting rights based around this community-engaged work.[15]
Grose also leads a team of faculty, administrators, and students to conduct the California Issues Poll, a representative survey of California registered voters that asked questions related to energy, the climate and housing.[16]
As director of the Political Science and International Relations PhD program, Grose cofounded the Predoctoral Summer Institute for First-Generation Scholars and Scholars of Color which is targeted towards first-generation and minority undergraduate, masters, or law students who are interested in pursuing a PhD in the social sciences.[17]