Excellent research
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg supports excellent research by providing funding to researchers who have received major grants from certain strategically important excellence initiatives. The following researchers at the Department of Political Science have been awarded such support.
Kristen Kao
Kristen Kao is Associate Professor of Political Science with expertise in survey methodology and experimental design, particularly focusing on the Middle East and Africa. In 2025, she was appointed a Wallenberg Academy Fellow for her research on how societies can recover after civil war and for launching the project Bridging Injustice Gaps: Peace Enhancement After Conflict Ends (BIG PEACE).
Ann-Kristin Kölln
Ann-Kristin Kölln is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on political parties and public opinion in Europe. In 2022, she received an ERC Starting Grant for the project The Benefits of Conflict: How Factions Strengthen Political Parties’ Electoral Success (INTRAPARTY). Ann-Kristin Kölln is a member of the Young Academy of Sweden for the period 2023–2028.
Staffan I. Lindberg
Staffan I. Lindberg is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on democratisation and autocratisation. In 2013, he was appointed a Wallenberg Academy Fellow to establish the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, and in 2017 he received an ERC Consolidator Grant for the project Failing and Successful Sequences of Democratization. He also leads research on democratic development through initiatives including the research infrastructure Demscore.
Ellen Lust
Ellen Lust is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on governance and local development. She is the founder and director of the Governance and Local Development Institute (GLD), where the research aims to explain variations in governance and local development and to promote human well-being globally. She was recruited to the University of Gothenburg in 2014 with support from the Swedish Research Council through an initiative for internationally prominent researchers.
Elin Naurin
Elin Naurin is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on representative democracy, particularly election pledges and politicians’ responsiveness to public opinion. In 2017, she was appointed a Wallenberg Academy Fellow for her research on how pregnancy and childbirth shape people’s views on politics. Elin Naurin leads the research programme Pregnancy, Parenthood and Democracy (PregDem).
Bo Rothstein
Bo Rothstein is a Senior Professor of Political Science and conducts research on the quality of political institutions, trust, and corruption. In 2010, he was appointed a Wallenberg Scholar and in 2013 received an ERC Advanced Grant for the project The Performance of Democracies. Bo Rothstein is one of the founders of the Quality of Government Institute (QoG) and held the August Röhss Chair in Political Science from 1994 to 2021.
Read more about Bo Rothstein’s research in the section on the August Röhss Chair in Political Science: Our history
Florence So
Florence So is an Associate Professor of Political Science and conducts research on political behaviour, political parties, elections, coalition politics, and political economy. In 2025, she received an ERC Starting Grant for the project More Money, Different Problems? Political Engagement in Times of Economic Prosperity (ECONENGAGE). The project examines the relationship between economic prosperity and political engagement.
Aksel Sundström
Aksel Sundström is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on political representation, particularly the underrepresentation of women and young people in politics, as well as environmental politics in low-income countries. In 2023, he received an ERC Starting Grant for the project Female Leadership and the Effects of Drought in Africa (Fem-LEAD), which investigates how extreme weather affects gender equality in African politics.
Ann Towns
Ann Towns is Professor of Political Science and conducts research on social hierarchies, power, and resistance in international politics, often with a focus on gender. In 2013, she was appointed a Wallenberg Academy Fellow for her research on diplomacy and gender and for launching the research programme Gender in Diplomacy (GenDip).
The different research grants
ERC Grants: The European Research Council (ERC) annually announces four different types of research grants to support researchers at different stages of their careers. The ERC particularly promotes interdisciplinary projects that pose innovative questions and have the potential to generate groundbreaking and innovative results, methods, and products.
Wallenberg Scholars: The programme enables researchers to work long term and at a high level of ambition in order to achieve greater international impact. It also supports bold and long-term research projects. The research is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Wallenberg Academy Fellows: The programme allows early-career researchers to pursue long-term research and focus on their scientific work. It also contributes to the internationalisation of Swedish research environments. The research is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.