Sherry Zaks

Sherry Zaks is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California (USC), affiliated with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on conflict studies, political transitions, and methodological innovation in social science research. She specializes in the transformation of rebel groups into political parties post-conflict and has contributed frameworks for analyzing hypothesis competition in process tracing.

Her work bridges theoretical debates with practical applications, such as teaching democratic backsliding in U.S. contexts. Methodologically, she integrates Bayesian analysis and qualitative case studies to explore causal mechanisms in political violence and institutional adaptation.

Notable contributions include conceptualizing rebel-to-party transitions and re-evaluating Bayesian process tracing methodologies. While no formal awards or advisees are listed, her publications demonstrate sustained engagement with conflict dynamics, research design, and political pedagogy. She is contactable at szaks@usc.edu and based in the DMC 357C office.