Elizabeth Menninga, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, has been selected for the 2025-2026 CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship.

Menninga has been at the University of Iowa since 2015. She earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I am very excited to welcome Elizabeth Menninga as our first CSSI Faculty Research fellow,” says Mark Berg, director of CSSI. “She has developed an important line of scholarship, and I am looking forward to the continued progression of her research, supported by CSSI’s resources.”

As a CSSI Faculty Research Fellow, Menninga will work in residence at CSSI during the 2025-2026 academic year to advance her research in the social sciences.

She will be provided with a private office and receive direct CSSI staff support. In addition, she will be released from teaching one course in her home department to focus her time on research projects.

Menninga plans to spend the year investigating how cooperation can unfold in civil wars fought by multiple government and rebel group pairs.

First, Menninga aims to mathematically model the rebel groups’ similarities, including social, political, and military factors. Next, she will examine if similar groups are more likely to learn from each other and subsequently replicate previously successful cooperations.

Menninga intends to use CSSI’s methodological workshops to help her build the mathematical model for her second research step.

“I feel deeply honored to have been chosen for the CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship,” says Menninga. “I look forward to having dedicated time and space to finish this project and see where it takes me next!”

To learn more about Menninga and her journey to this research topic, read her feature story here.

The next round of applications for the CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship is anticipated to open in Fall 2026.

For emails about CSSI news and opportunities in support of social science research across the University of Iowa campus, within our communities, and beyond, subscribe here.