ABOUT ME

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University and a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. I was previously a pre-doctoral research fellow in the Quantitative Social Science program at Dartmouth College, working for Bright Line Watch. I received my BA from Dartmouth College in 2018 with a double major in Government and French and was valedictorian of my graduating class.

 

I study public opinion and political behavior, with an emphasis on democratic norms, identity politics, and survey methodology in both the United States and abroad. My dissertation project examines how citizens react to democratic backsliding as it incrementally unfolds in front of them. My research has been published or is forthcoming at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Political Science Research and Methods, Research and Politics, Political Behavior, and the Journal of Experimental Political Science, among others, and has received coverage in a variety of major media outlets. My book, Campus Diversity: The Hidden Consensus, was published at Cambridge University Press in 2020. You can find a copy of my CV here, or click on the Research tab to learn more about what I'm working on.

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At Stanford, I collaborate with the Polarization and Social Change Lab (PASCL), the Center for American Democracy (SCAD) at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS), and the Female Athlete Science and Translational Research Program (FASTR). Outside of my work in the social sciences, I am a competitive triathlete, a coach, and an advocate for women in sport. For triathlon coaching inquiries, please visit https://www.theendurancedrive.com/.

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You can contact me at kpc14@stanford.edu or kclayton91496@gmail.com.