Alexander Sahn

Alexander Sahn is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and the Thomas J. Pearsall Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in political economy and representation, focusing on subnational U.S. governments, housing policies, and urban governance. His research examines racial backlash in exclusionary zoning, public comment influence on housing approvals, and municipal civil service reforms.

Education: PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (2020); Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University’s Center for the Study of Democratic Politics (2020–2023).

Research Interests:

• Political economy of housing and urban development
• Institutional design of local governments
• Racial dynamics in policy implementation
• Public participation mechanisms

Awards: Recognized with the Susan Clarke Young Scholar Award (APSA Urban Politics) and Emerging Scholar Award (APSA American Political Economy Section).

Advising/Grants: Currently mentoring students in urban politics and political methodology. No active grants explicitly mentioned, but his research often addresses applied policy questions.

Labs/Teams: Active in UNC’s political science department, collaborating on projects about neighborhood representation and climate communication.