Dr. Jason Gainous

About

Dr. Jason Gainous was born in Lakeland, Florida. He completed his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Florida Atlantic University, followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Florida. In 2006, he joined the faculty at the University of Louisville, where he eventually became Chair of the Department of Political Science and later Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education. He has also served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Duke Kunshan University in China. Currently, he is a professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and will soon begin his new role as Dean of Social Sciences at KIMEP University in Kazakhstan.

He is an active scholar and educator. His research interests include information technology and politics, comparative public opinion and political behavior, political psychology, and research methodology. He has authored three books, including Tweeting to Power: The Social Media Revolution in American Politics and Directed Digital Dissidence in Autocracies: How China Wins Online (both with Oxford University Press), and Rebooting American Politics: The Internet Revolution (Rowman and Littlefield). His work has appeared in top journals such as American Politics Research, Democratization, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly, Political Communication, Social Science Quarterly, and Statistical Science, among others. He has received numerous research awards from organizations including the American Political Science Association, the Kentucky Political Science Association, the Southwestern Social Science Association, and the Florida Political Science Association. At the University of Louisville, he was honored with the institution’s highest award for research and creative activity.

Dr. Gainous teaches courses in information technology and politics, American politics, research design, and statistics. His passion lies in mentoring students through the research process. He has chaired and served on numerous Ph.D. dissertation and master’s thesis committees across multiple disciplines, supervising projects on topics ranging from digital political behavior to urban planning and mathematical modeling of voting systems. He has also guided a wide array of undergraduate research projects, theses, and independent studies. His mentorship extends beyond the classroom through his active supervision of internships, having helped place and guide students in over a dozen years of field experiences across public service, policy analysis, and political campaigns.

He is also a frequent media commentator whose expertise is regularly sought by major news outlets. His insights on U.S. and global politics, media, and technology have appeared in television, radio, and print media including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, WHAS, WAVE, WLKY, C-SPAN BookTV, NPR, Yahoo News, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, Courier-Journal, and FiveThirtyEight. His media appearances span national and international audiences, and his commentary has helped educate the public on issues such as elections, political communication, misinformation, and social media’s impact on democracy.

Outside academia, Dr. Gainous has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to community service. He served on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Metro Parks Foundation and has been an active volunteer with the Jefferson County Adopt-a-Park Program, helping maintain the Louisville Extreme Park for over a decade. He has participated in College Board initiatives, including reading and developing the AP U.S. Government Exam, and contributed analysis and public presentations for local civic issues, including military cadet programs in public schools. He also engages in civic education outreach, including podcast guest appearances for high school student projects internationally and mentorship of youth interested in legislative processes and political engagement.