Harvard Portrait: Dustin Tingley

Political scientist Dustin Tingley studies the politics of everyday life.

Dustin Tingley Photograph by Jim Harrison

Dustin Tingley is less interested in political personalities than in the mechanisms that animate politics. His new book, Sailing the Water’s Edge, is a deep, quantitative dive into how the structure of American government influences U.S. relationships with other countries. That isn’t to say he’s uninterested in the here-and-now impact of his work: “There are presidential candidates who imply they’re willing to carpet-bomb vast portions of the world,” he says gravely. He sees engaging with the public as a mandate of his role. Tingley has studied everything from climate change to olfactory cues in mating to negotiations between young children, his disparate interests unified by his “obsession” with data, statistics, and disentangling cause and effect. “There are politics on the playground,” he says, “and there are politics in the forums of the United Nations.” Named a professor of government last fall, he contributes his empirical instincts elsewhere, too, leading the University’s outcomes-based research for HarvardX on the science of learning. Between college at the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from Princeton, Tingley taught high-school math and history, unsure if he would become a career academic. There were times when he wanted to be an environmental advocate, he remembers, or a music producer. But did he have any doubts about his path while in graduate school? “Very few,” he answers. These days, between his work and family (he has a two-year-old son), Tingley has less time for the guitar, an old passion. He’s played in a mix of bands—rock, jazz, experimental—but has never taken to formal lessons. “They always wanted me to read music,” he jokes, “and I didn’t really want to.”

Read more articles by Marina N. Bolotnikova
Related topics

You might also like

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Matt Levine's Bloomberg Finance Column Makes Money Funny

Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column

How AI Could Be Raising Your Energy Bill

Utilities shift AI infrastructure costs onto consumers.

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Harvard Panel Debunks the Population Implosion Myth

Public health professors parse the evidence surrounding falling U.S. birth rates.

Your Views on Harvard’s Standoff, Antisemitism, and More

Readers comment on the controversial July-August cover, authoritarianism, and scientific research.

Explore More From Current Issue

Man splashing water on his face at outdoor fountain beside woman holding cup near stone building.

Why Heat Waves Make You Miserable

Scientists are studying how much heat and humidity the human body can take.

Illustration of scientists injecting large syringe with mitochondria into human heart.

Do Mitochondria Hold the Power to Heal?

From Alzheimer’s to cancer, this tiny organelle might expand treatment options. 

David McCord in suit reading a book at cluttered wooden desk in office filled with framed art and shelves.

The Pump Celebrates Its 85th Birthday

Giving Harvard traditions their due