Rate My Professor Chad Lavin

Chad Lavin serves as Associate Professor of English and Research Associate Professor of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University (2003), an M.A. in Political Science from the same institution (1999), and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine (1997, Cum Laude). His academic interests encompass modern and contemporary political theory, food politics, cultural theory, and American thought. Lavin's scholarly work examines the intersections of politics, culture, and everyday practices, particularly through the lenses of biopolitics, crisis discourse, and consumer society.

Prior to his current roles at UB—where he also served as Interim Chair of the English Department (2019–2020) and Associate Chair (2017–2019)—Lavin was Associate Professor of Political Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2012–2015) and Assistant Professor there (2008–2012), alongside affiliations in programs such as the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought. His earlier appointments include Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hobart & William Smith Colleges (2007–2008), Post-Doctoral Fellow at Emory University’s Bill & Carol Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry (2006–2007), and Visiting Assistant Professor at Tulane University (2003–2006). Lavin is the author of two books: Eating Anxiety: The Perils of Food Politics (University of Minnesota Press, 2013) and The Politics of Responsibility (University of Illinois Press, 2008). Key publications include “Escaping the Spatial Imaginary, or, Politics as an Occupation” in New Political Science (2017), “The Ideology of the Epidemic” in New Political Science (2010, with Chris Russill), and “Fear, Radical Democracy, and Theoretical Methadone” in Polity (2006). His honors include the Humanities Institute Faculty Research Fellowship at UB (2018), Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Emory (2006–2007), Artinian Award for Professional Development from the Southern Political Science Association (2006), and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship at Virginia Tech (2013). Lavin has contributed extensively to university service, including Faculty Senate at UB (2021–present) and various departmental committees.