Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs and School of Education, Chief Vision Officer and Founding Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, has been awarded a Carnegie Fellowship. She is one of twenty-six Class of 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellows who were selected from more than 300 applicants to receive a prestigious grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Each fellow will receive stipends of $200,000 for research that seeks to understand how and why our society has become so polarized and how we can strengthen the forces of cohesion to fortify American democracy. 

“I am so delighted and honored to receive a Carnegie Fellowship, and I am grateful to the Lumina Foundation for their nomination,” said Prof. Cynthia Miller-Idriss. “My mixed-methods, multi-phase research project investigates the relationship between gendered narratives and political polarization among Gen Z youth. It focuses on whether and how rising online misogyny affects polarization, democratic resilience, and social cohesion in the U.S. The work will produce a book alongside recommended educational strategies to strengthen democratic resilience.”

“We are thrilled to see Cynthia receive this recognition from the Carnegie Foundation,” said SPA Interim Dean Alison Jacknowitz. “She has been at the forefront of the academic study of political violence and national security, and in developing evidence-based tools and strategies to address extremism. Her award is well-deserved.”

Under the leadership of Carnegie president, Dame Louise Richardson, the 2025 class marks the second year of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program’s focus on building a body of research focused on political polarization. The corporation has committed up to $18 million to the study of political division over a three-year period, including research into online misogyny, urban segregation, the radicalization of military veterans, and other vital topics.

“Through these fellowships, Carnegie is harnessing the unrivaled brainpower of our universities to help us to understand how our society has become so polarized,” said Carnegie’s president, Dame Louise Richardson. “Our future grant-making will be informed by what we learn from these scholars as we seek to mitigate the pernicious effects of political polarization.” 

The focus on political polarization attracted more than 300 applications. The winning proposals approach polarization through a wide array of disciplines and methods. A distinguished panel of jurors, chaired by Richardson and comprised of current and former leaders from some of the nation’s preeminent institutions, made the final selections

“Professor Miller-Idris is a trailblazer, and her work touches on such important content for schools and our democratic society,” said SOE Interim Dean Rodney Hopson. “At a time when issues of polarization are reemerging in our country, we need thoughtful, passionate, and committed researchers like her to bring to light and propose innovative, cross-cutting approaches to address these issues of concern and opportunity.”

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program, founded in 2015, provides the most generous stipend of its kind for research in the humanities and social sciences. Previous Fellows have received honors including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award. 

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is a continuation of the mission of Carnegie Corporation of New York, established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911, to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that our founder considered most important: education, democracy, and peace.