Alauna Safarpour is an assistant professor of Political Science at Gettysburg College. Her research focuses on American public opinion and political behavior, with an emphasis on experimental interventions to improve American democracy by reducing prejudice and increasing civic participation. Prior to joining the faculty at Gettysburg College, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy and Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute. Dr. Safarpour has also worked as a survey statistician for the Kaiser Family Foundation, a polling fellow for The Washington Post, and as an election night analyst for The Washington Post in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections.

Dr. Safarpour is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland’s Department of Government and Politics where she earned a Ph.D. (‘2021) and M.A. (‘2019). She also holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, a M.A. in Political Science from American University, and a Certificate in Paralegal Studies from Duke University. She was also a 2019 participant in the Zürich Summer School for Women in Political Methodology at the University of Zürich, Switzerland (UZH).