The Department of Political Science at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service has announced the appointment of seven new faculty members for the 2025–2026 academic year. This cohort includes four tenure-track assistant professors — Dr. Jake Jares, Dr. Gechun Lin, Dr. Michael Burnham, and Dr. Chenoa Yorgason — who bring fresh research expertise in American politics, computational social science, and political methodology. In addition, the department welcomes two instructional professors, Dr. Doug Thornton and Dr. Michelle Chin-Miller, and a visiting professor Dr. Clifford Young with extensive experience in public opinion and polling. These additions reflect the department’s commitment to broadening both its research portfolio and teaching strength.
“These new faculty represent the strength and ambition of the department,” according to Department Head Dr. Guy Whitten. “We always look to hire the best, and the collective research and teaching capabilities of our new faculty are truly remarkable. Coupled with their practical, real-world industry experience, we’re ensuring a top-quality education for Texas A&M undergraduates and graduate students.”
Assistant Professor Jake Jares focuses his research on how economic interests and ideology shape American politics and public policy, using survey experiments, large administrative datasets, and machine learning techniques to examine issues such as farm policy and public opinion. Gechun Lin, also joining as an assistant professor, specializes in computational social science, using advanced natural language processing and statistical methods to measure latent political concepts and explore applications in polarization, legislative politics, and policy analysis. Michael Burnham brings expertise in political polarization, American politics, and predictive modeling, utilizing computational approaches such as natural language processing to advance understanding of contemporary political dynamics. Chenoa Yorgason focuses on elections, campaign finance, and political participation, frequently employing administrative data and causal inference methods in her research on donor behavior and voting patterns.
Joining in instructional roles, Doug Thornton and Michelle Chin-Miller will support the department’s educational mission with a focus on applied political knowledge. Chin-Miller comes with a rich background that includes serving as academic director of the Archer Center, policy analysis experience, and prior work as a congressional policy advisor and professor at multiple institutions. Thornton, who will also serve as Assistant Department Head, brings a wealth of teaching and administrative experience. Clifford Young, appointed as a visiting professor, is a renowned pollster and president of polling and societal trends at Ipsos, bringing three decades of experience in public opinion research and strategic forecasting to the classroom. His courses will draw on deep expertise in political behavior and public opinion.
All seven new faculty are listed on the department website at https://bush.tamu.edu/pols/faculty/ and are teaching in the curriculum.
