Lars Lott

Lars Lott serves as a Research Fellow at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg's Institute of Political Science within the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology, holding a concurrent position as Research Associate at the Varieties of Democracy Institute, Gothenburg University since 2023. His academic journey began at Heidelberg University where he earned his B.A. (2015) and M.A. (2017) in Political Science and Public Law before completing his doctorate in 2021.

• B.A. Political Science and Public Law, Heidelberg University (2015)
• M.A. Political Science and Public Law, Heidelberg University (2017)
• Ph.D. Political Science, Heidelberg University (2021)

Dr. Lott's research program centers on autocratic regimes and academic freedom, with particular emphasis on conceptualizing and measuring regime transformations and exploring the political economy of inequality. His work bridges theoretical political science with practical measurement challenges, developing innovative methodologies for tracking democratic erosion and academic freedom worldwide. Through his involvement with the Academic Freedom Index project, he has pioneered approaches to quantifying scholarly freedoms across diverse political contexts.

His publication record reveals a strong focus on academic freedom measurement techniques and autocratization processes, with recent works (2023-2025) examining democratic resilience frameworks, episodic analysis of academic freedom trends, and methodological innovations in expert data collection. The research demonstrates increasing sophistication in measurement approaches while maintaining strong connections to real-world policy applications.

As a key contributor to the Academic Freedom Index project, Dr. Lott has co-authored multiple annual updates that have become essential references for scholars and policymakers tracking global trends in academic freedom. His work on student-led replication studies also demonstrates commitment to methodological rigor and training the next generation of political scientists.

Currently leading research on academic freedom growth and decline episodes, Dr. Lott continues to advance our understanding of how authoritarian regimes impact scholarly environments while developing practical tools for monitoring these dynamics worldwide. His collaborative work with the V-Dem Institute positions him at the forefront of efforts to quantify and understand democratic backsliding and authoritarian consolidation.