Caleb Griffin

PhD Candidate in Political Science

I study political psychology with a focus on regional and religious identities

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About Me

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (May 2026 graduation). I study political science with an emphasis on political psychology. More specifically, my work revolves around questions of identity, especially regional and religious identities. My dissertation explores the role of elites in shaping both our conceptions of social geography (where we think things are in the world) and regional identities.

I share my life with my talented, smart wife and our cute little daughter (with one more on the way). In my personal life I enjoy playing basketball, pessimistically following the Springboks, and reading great literature.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD, Political Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2019-2026

Courses Taught

  • Intro to Political Science, 2025
  • Race and Ethnic Politics (Online), 2024
  • Intro to Political Science Discussion Sections, 2023
  • Intro to Political Science (Online), 2021

Teaching Assistantships

  • Intro to Political Science, 2023
  • Politics & Media, 2020
  • The U.S. Constitution, 2019

Research Assistantships

  • Cara Wong, 2021-2022

Departmental Service

  • President of the Political Science Graduate Student Association, 2023-2024
  • Faculty Search Committee: 2022
  • Project lead: Brownbag faculty & student lunches, 2021-2022 & 2023-2024
  • Co-Social Chair for Political Science Graduate Student Association, 2021-2022
  • Project co-lead: Mentorship program, 2021-2022
  • Visits Committee: 2020-2022
  • Peer Mentor: 2020-2023, 2025

Discipline Service

  • Reviewer for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2025
  • Guest Speaker: National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-I), 2024
  • Panelist: Conducting Research in Morocco, MACECE, 2024
  • Panel Chair: Illinois State Political Science Student Conference, 2021
  • Reviewer for Critique Magazine, 2020

MA, Political Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2019-2021

MS, Applied Community & Economic Development
Illinois State University
2015-2017

BA, Political Science
Brigham Young University
2009-2014


Published Work

Working Papers

  • What do we mean by Sharia Government?
  • The Role of Choice in Competing Religious & Sexual Identities
  • How Perceptions of Community Support Affect Police Recruitment and Retention
  • Integrating Philosophical Conceptions of Identity with an Empirical Social Science Approach
  • Matching as a Strategy to Assess the Impact of Religiosity on Self-Esteem among Queer Christians
  • A New Minimalist Strategy to Conceptualize and Measure Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Religiosity
  • How Churches React to Changing Political Attitudes that Affect Doctrinal Stances


Conference Presentations


Fellowships

  • University of Illinois Dissertation Completion Fellowship (2026): $13,000
  • Samuel K. Gove Fellowship (2025): $1000
  • Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Travel Grant (2025): $500
  • Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship (2024): $49,302
  • Dorman Award (2024): $500
  • Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Research Fellowship (2023): $2,500
  • Policy & Legislative Research Fellowship (2022-2023): $20,000
  • Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, & Culture Workshop Fellowship: $1,000
  • Charles M. Kneier Fellowship (2021-2022): $2,052
  • Samuel K. Gove Fellowship (2020): $549


Awards

  • University of Illinois List of Instructors Ranked as Excellent by their Students (2023)
  • Rita & Leonard Ogren Prize for Academic Achievement (2022)
  • Pass with Distinction on UIUC Politics Specialized Exam (2022)
  • Pass with Distinction on UIUC Politics General Exam (2021)
  • James L. Fisher Outstanding Thesis Nominee (2018)


Languages

  • Programming & Markup: R, \(\LaTeX\), Markdown
  • Spoken: Español, الدارجة


Honour Societies

  • Phi Kappa Phi

  • Golden Key International


Other Professional Experience

Legislative Fellow
The Center for Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Illinois
2022-2023

I worked in the office of an Illinois state legislator (51st district) on a year-long project involving best practices in state recruitment of police officers. The resulting output was presented as a White Paper to the Illinois State Legislature.

Writing Instructor
The University of Utah
2019

I taught academic writing for the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water. My work included lecturing, grading, editing, curriculum-development, and other activities designed to help graduate engineering students complete excellent master’s theses. I also designed and taught academic writing workshops for students and faculty, which I carried out in Mehran University in Pakistan.

Research Assistant
Social Research Institute
2019

My role included database management, program evaluation, statistical analysis, and conducting literature reviews for three non-profits that contracted with the Social Research Institute (a research branch of the University of Utah College of Social Work).

Youth Development Specialist
United States Peace Corps 
2016-2018

I served in the community of Imouzzer Kandar, working with the Greenside Development Foundation, an NGO which helps young people and women in Morocco obtain the skills necessary to find stable employment. My work included grant writing, project design, teaching, and many other activities. I also taught English at the Women’s Empowerment Center in Imouzzer.

Legislative Research Assistant
Utah State Legislature
2016

Assisted policy analysts and state legislators in various capacities. This included creating presentations for interim committees, preparing reports and memos, and conducting research.

Research Coordinator
Teens Act
2014-2015

Directed evaluation projects including conducting, compiling, and analyzing survey data for students and mentors. Created quarterly and annual reports for school administrators and the board of directors. Maintained a student database and carried out several large research projects. Drafted partnership proposals for Utah Valley University and the BYU Psychology department. Collaborated on a cohort project with the BYU Sociology department. Managed three interns and directed research assignments for them.

Congressional Intern
U.S. House of Representatives
2013

Interned in Washington D.C. for the Arizona 8th District. My work included constituent relations, proofreading, research, and clerical work.

Get in Touch

Email me at calebjgriffin@gmail.com