Yunus Emre Orhan is an Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Denison University. Previously, he was an NSF-funded Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Manager with the Digital Society Project.
Orhan is a comparative political scientist whose research examines democratic accountability, political behavior, polarization, elite strategies, and the governance of AI.
His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Democratization, Ethnopolitics, and Computation. His research and writing have also appeared in The Washington Post and have been covered by outlets including The Atlantic and POTUS Radio’s “The Trendline.”
He is a member of the Connect Elicit Learn Lab and co-organizes the Polarization Consortium’s workshop series and annual mini-conference on the Politics of Polarization at the Midwest Political Science Association meeting.
Outside of academia, he enjoys reading, camping with family and friends, inventing games with his daughter, and long conversations on the trail during hikes.
Learning & Teaching
- PPA 339 Governing AI in Democracies
- PPA 339 Politics of the Middle East
- 2025 - 2026: Visiting Asst. Professor, Denison University
- 2022 - 2025: Postdoctoral Fellow, Digital Society Project
Research
Service
- American Political Science Association
- Midwest Political Science Association
Other
- 2021 NSF - APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant
- 2026 - ITS Digital Innovation Grant