Jennifer Burns

Jennifer Burns is an Associate Professor of History at Stanford University and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution. She holds affiliations with the Stanford Center for Law and History. Her research focuses on 20th century U.S. intellectual, political, and cultural history, particularly examining ideas about capitalism, markets, and the state. Burns earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (2005), M.A. from UC Berkeley (2001), and A.B. from Harvard University (1998).

Her key works include Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative (2023) and Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right (2009). She teaches courses on American intellectual history and capitalism, and advises initiatives like the Stanford Humanities Center Workshop in Religion, Politics, and Culture. Burns has been featured in media outlets including The New York Times, The Colbert Report, and the Lex Fridman Podcast.

Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to capitalism's cultural and political dimensions, with notable contributions to understanding libertarian thought and conservative intellectual movements. Burns actively participates in academic networks like the Society for United States Intellectual History.