Carsten Q. Schneider

Carsten Q. Schneider is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations at Central European University (CEU). He has been a key academic and administrative leader at CEU since 2004, serving as department head (2014–2017), program director for the MA in Political Science (2021–2022), and currently as Pro-Rector for External Relations since 2022, overseeing academic partnerships, communications, outreach, and alumni relations.

• PhD in Political and Social Science, European University Institute
• Diploma in Political Science, Free University, Berlin

His research and teaching focus on political regime change, democratization in Europe and Latin America, and comparative methodology—especially qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and set-theoretic methods. He is the author of multiple leading books on QCA published by Cambridge University Press and has published extensively in top journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Political Analysis, and Democratization.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward integrating computational methods—particularly machine learning and automated text analysis—with traditional comparative frameworks. His 2025 article on illiberal leaders uses 38,000+ speeches across 120 countries to show how right-wing strongmen exacerbate inequality. This reflects a broader interdisciplinary shift in his work, combining political theory, methodological innovation, and large-scale data analysis.

• David Collier Mid-Career Achievement Award, American Political Science Association (2019)
• CEU Distinguished Teaching Award (2019)
• Elected Member, German Academy of Young Scientists (2009–2014)

As Pro-Rector for External Relations, Schneider leads CEU’s engagement with academic networks, including CIVICA: The European University of Social Sciences, where he chairs the Permanent Design Team. He represents CEU in the Austrian Private Universities Conference (ÖPUK) and serves on internal governance bodies such as the Senate Committee on Strategic Development. He has advised on research transparency standards and promotes open science in qualitative and multimethod research. He has conducted research stays at Harvard University, UC Berkeley, WZB Berlin, and Pompeu Fabra, reflecting his strong international academic network.