Sarah Thompson
Assistant Professor, Government
Academic focus:
Comparative politics
Current research project:
I have several projects at varying stages exploring traditional governance and gender, primarily in Pakistan, and using experiments.
Previous positions:
- Postdoctoral fellow, Global Forum on Democracy and Development at the Social Scientists’ Association in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2024-25
Academic background:
- Ph.D., Political science, Stanford University, 2024
- M.A., Political science, Stanford University, 2020
- B.A., Political science, Columbia University, 2016
Last book read:
A recent book that’s stuck with me is “Brotherless Night” by V. V. Ganeshananthan. I spent the last year as a postdoc in Sri Lanka and visited many of the sites mentioned in it. Motifs in the novel include bicycles and books, as ordinary Sri Lankans were robbed of public goods like proper infrastructure and education during the civil war. It was encouraging to see women on bicycles and scooties up north, and to go inside the rebuilt Jaffna Public Library.
In your own time/when not working:
I enjoy walking the many beautiful trails around Ithaca, making cocktails and playing with my two cats.
Courses you’re most looking forward to teaching:
Currently I’m designing a new course that explores comparative politics topics within the context of South Asia. I hope students who might have familiarity with one country or one state/province in the region will come away thinking about the similarities and differences between politics in other areas of South Asia. Later on, I’m excited to teach courses that touch on causal inference and field experiments in political science.
What most excites you about Cornell:
I’m fortunate to be joining a brilliant department that is tackling important questions in a moment when democracy feels under siege around the world. I’m excited to get to know professors, graduate students, and undergraduates alike in government.
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