Sara Sadhwani

Sara Sadhwani is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Pomona College, with research and teaching focused on voting behavior, elections, voting rights, and the political representation of racial, ethnic, and immigrant communities. She is currently on leave for the 2024–2025 academic year and holds affiliations as a nonresident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a faculty fellow at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and a senior researcher at AAPI Data.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California and a B.A. from the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh.

Sara Sadhwani's research centers on the political behavior of Asian American and Latino communities, with emphasis on electoral participation, redistricting, gerrymandering, and public policy. Her work explores how structural factors such as district design, media exposure, and voting laws impact civic engagement among historically excluded groups. She integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze voter trends and representation, contributing to both academic discourse and public policy.

Her recent publications and media commentary reflect a strong trajectory in the fields of race, ethnicity, and politics. Articles span topics including coethnic representation, intersectional mobilization, redistricting impacts, and coalition-building among minority interest groups. Her research has been featured in prominent outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and The Guardian, indicating high public relevance and scholarly impact.

Her scientific awards include:

• 2023 Emerging Scholar Award, American Political Science Association’s Civic Engagement Section
• Haynes-Lindley Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation

Sadhwani has served as a commissioner on the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission, where she contributed to the redrawing of congressional and legislative district lines. She has also coauthored amicus briefs in voting rights cases before the California Supreme Court. While student advising details are not listed, her role as a professor and faculty fellow suggests active mentorship. She has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West and serves on the executive council of the Western Political Science Association.

She is affiliated with several research teams and policy centers, including AAPI Data and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, where she contributes to data-driven policy analysis and public engagement initiatives focused on equitable representation.