Cathy J. Cohen

Cathy J. Cohen is the D. Gale Johnson Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and inaugural chair of the Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago. She has also served as chair of the Department of Political Science and director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. Her research focuses on American politics, African American political behavior, social movements, and the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality.

• Research Interests: Political participation, structural racism, Black youth, LGBTQ+ politics

Recent Publications highlight the political engagement of marginalized communities, including work on Black sexuality, youth mobilization, and race-gender intersections. She co-edited Women Transforming Politics: An Alternative Reader and leads the GenForward Survey and Black Youth Project, analyzing political attitudes of young Americans.

• Scientific Awards: Robert Wood Johnson Investigator’s Award, Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Research Fellowship, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Grants include major support from the Ford Foundation for the Mobilization, Change and Political and Civic Engagement Project and GenForward Survey. She serves on national advisory boards and governs charter schools at the University of Chicago, while maintaining a legacy of activism in organizations like the Audre Lorde Project and Black AIDS Mobilization.