Heather Stoll

Heather Stoll is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she has been a faculty member since 2005. Her research spans comparative politics, political parties and elections, political institutions, political representation, and quantitative methods, with regional expertise in Western Europe and Israel.

Her educational credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University (2005)
• M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University
• M.Phil in Politics from the University of Oxford

Professor Stoll's research examines how societal transformations shape democratic party systems and the mediating role of political institutions, as demonstrated in her book Changing Societies, Changing Party Systems (Cambridge University Press, 2013). She investigates electoral systems, democratic representation, and the impact of social diversity on district-level party systems using advanced quantitative methodologies. Her current projects explore democratic assembly sizes and comparative bureaucracy.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Seymour Martin Lipset Award (2005) for best comparative politics dissertation

At UCSB, Professor Stoll mentors students through the Departmental Honors Program and graduate seminars while teaching undergraduate courses including Israeli Politics and Political Consequences of Electoral Laws, alongside graduate methodology and institutions courses. She maintains active research collaborations through her Zoom office hours and ongoing projects.