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Home / Zachary C. Steinert-Threlkeld
Steinert-Threlkeld_2024
  • Global Public Affairs, Public Policy

Zachary C. Steinert-Threlkeld

Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science

Download CV

Professor Steinert-Threlkeld is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. His research seeks to understand protest dynamics using natural language processing, computer vision, and large-scale simulations.  He has studied protests around the world, including the Arab Spring, East Asia, and the Americas.  His newest work looks at evasion of the Great Firewall in China during COVID-19, signalling on social media during the Syrian civil war, how state violence can make protests smaller or larger, and the effect of social media taxation.  His work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Analysis, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and World Development and received coverage from Al-Jazeera, The Atlantic, Business Insider, The Economist, The New York Times, Scientific American, and WIRED.

He received his Ph.D. in political science from UC San Diego in 2016; a master’s degree in political science from UC San Diego in 2012, and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and economics from Washington University in St. Louis.

For more information, please visit his personal website: https://zacharyst.com/

Read More

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. in Political Science, University of California, San Diego
  • M.A. in Political Science, University of California, San Diego
  • B.A. in Anthropology and Economics, Washington University in St. Louis

Areas of Expertise

  • Computational social science, Protests, Social Networks, Subnational Conflict

Latest News

Photo of a 5 story apartment building recently built in Mar Vista, CA/
Steinert-Threlkeld: Most Angelenos Support New Housing, Survey Shows
September 23, 2025

UCLA data reveal broad support for apartment construction, challenging the notion that Los Angeles is dominated by NIMBYism.

Downtown LA just after sunset during blue hour, captured from a helicopter point of view with lighted City Hall building.
UCLA Grants Deepen Ties to the L.A. Community
March 17, 2025

Projects by Luskin faculty will build collaboration among scholars, students and local partners.

Latest News

Photo of a 5 story apartment building recently built in Mar Vista, CA/

Steinert-Threlkeld: Most Angelenos Support New Housing, Survey Shows

September 23, 2025

UCLA data reveal broad support for apartment construction, challenging the notion that Los Angeles is dominated by NIMBYism.

Downtown LA just after sunset during blue hour, captured from a helicopter point of view with lighted City Hall building.

UCLA Grants Deepen Ties to the L.A. Community

March 17, 2025

Projects by Luskin faculty will build collaboration among scholars, students and local partners.

Abstract crowds of people with virtual reality street display.

New UCLA Certificate Program Meets Opportunity and Challenge of Big Data

December 17, 2024

UCLA Luskin and University Extension are collaborating on a graduate-level program offering in-demand skills to a wide range of students.

Young woman stands in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Learning the Language of Technology

December 21, 2023

Students like Rocio Perez MPP '23 can now earn a certificate to show they understand the power of programming in policy analysis.

twitter logo illustration

Steinert-Threlkeld on Twitter, Algorithms and Transparency

April 10, 2023

The company could be the biggest beneficiary of the decision to publicly share part of its source code, he says.

No more articles to load

Contact Information

Phone

(310) 825-0471

Email

zst@luskin.ucla.edu

Office Location

6347, Public Affairs

Media Contact

For media inquiries, contact Kate Shirley at kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu (email preferred) or 310-206-5252.

Learn more about UCLA Luskin

Find contact information and get answers to your questions.

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Graduate Programs
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
Undergraduate Programs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
Professional Certificates
  • Data Analytics Certificate
  • Data Analytics Certificate
Admissions
Program Specific Admissions
  • Public Policy
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  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
Faculty
Our Faculty
  • All Faculty
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  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
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Leadership
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
Research Centers
  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

All Research Centers
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