Lisa A. Schur

Lisa A. Schur is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR). She serves as Co-Director of the Program for Disability Research and was previously Chair of her department. Professor Schur holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from Northeastern University, combining legal and political science expertise in her interdisciplinary work.

Her research focuses on the economic, political, and social inclusion of people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on political participation and employment experiences. Professor Schur has coordinated four national surveys on disability and voter turnout following Presidential elections and has published extensively in top journals across multiple disciplines. Her co-authored book 'People with Disabilities: Sidelined or Mainstreamed?' was published by Cambridge University Press.

Professor Schur's recent work has examined how remote work impacts people with disabilities and the growing political power of the disability electorate, with numerous 2024 reports analyzing the 40.2 million eligible voters with disabilities in the United States. Her scholarship demonstrates consistent interdisciplinary engagement across political science, labor economics, and disability studies.

Her awards include the Rutgers Provost Publicly/Community-Engaged Scholarship Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) and the Political Research Quarterly Best Article Award for 'Enabling Democracy: Disability and Voter Turnout' (2002).

Professor Schur's research has been funded by major organizations including the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Office of Disability Employment Policy, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Social Security Administration, and New Jersey Developmental Disabilities Council. She regularly collaborates with her colleague Douglas Kruse on disability research projects and has established Rutgers as the world leader in disability and employment research.

As co-director of the Program for Disability Research, Professor Schur oversees a major research initiative that has produced more studies on disability and employment than any other institution globally over the past three decades. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, particularly in voting accessibility and workplace inclusion for people with disabilities.