Jonathan Slapin studied political science at Rutgers University and was a DAAD scholarship holder at the University of Konstanz. He received his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007. His research focuses on the institutions of democratic politics, political parties and legislative politics. Since August 1, 2019, he has been Professor of Political Institutions and European Politics at the University of Zurich. Previously, he held positions at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Trinity College, Dublin, University of Houston, and University of Essex. At the University of Essex he was Director of the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis.