Staff profile

Neil Visalvanich joined Durham University as an Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics in 2015. He recieved his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 2014. For the 2014-2015 academic year, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bucknell Univerisity. 

Neil focuses on studying politics in America, and is particularly interested in the politics of campaigns and elections, as well as the influence of racial and ethnic diversity on political institutions, mass political behaviour, and public opinion. Broadly, Neil is interested in the politics of race and ethnicity, and has been expanding this research to examine racial dynamics in British and European politics as well. More recently, Neil has examined issues around descriptive representation of minority groups in political parties and the quality of representation provided to underrepresented groups by elected representatives. Neil uses mostly quantitative methods in his approach to politics, as his work has utilised large-N observational survey data as well using experimental survey designs. Currently, Neil is working on a book project examining East and South Asian political candidates in America. In addition to this project, Neil is also examining how political rhetoric affects public opinion towards migrants in the United Kingdom. 

A link to Neil's personal website can be found at www.neilvisal.com

Research Groups

• Centre for Institutions and Political Behaviour

• American Politics
• Electoral Politics
• The Politics of Race and Ethnicity

• 2016: Award: Asian Pacific Americans Association Best Paper Award, 2015 Western Political Science Association Annual Conference. 
• 2015: Visiting Assistant Professor: Bucknell University

Journal Article

• Hassell, H. J. G., & Visalvanich, N. (2024). Perceptions of Electability: Candidate (and Voter) Ideology, Race, and Gender. Political Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-023-09909-3
• Visalvanich, N., & Sriram, S. K. (2023). Imperative Patriotism and Minority Candidacies: Examining the Role of Military Status in Racial Evaluations of South Asian Candidates. Political Research Quarterly, 76(1), 44-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129211069175
• Bischof, D., Cohen, G., Cohen, S., Foos, F., Kuhn, P. M., Nanou, K., …Vivyan, N. (2022). Advantages, Challenges and Limitations of Audit Experiments with Constituents. Political Studies Review, 20(2), 192-200. https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299211037865
• Hassell, H. J., & Visalvanich, N. (2019). The Party’s Primary Preferences: Race, Gender, and Party Support of Congressional Primary Candidates. American Journal of Political Science, 63(4), 905-919. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12461
• Gell-Redman, M., Visalvanich, N., Crabtree, C., & Fariss, C. J. (2018). It’s All About Race: How State Legislators Respond to Immigrant Constituents. Political Research Quarterly, 71(3), 517-531. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912917749322
• Nielson, L., & Visalvanich, N. (2017). Primaries and Candidates: Examining the Influence of Primary Electorates on Candidate Ideology. Political Science Research and Methods, 5(2), 397-408. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2015.60
• Visalvanich, N. (2016). Asian Candidates in America: The Surprising Effects of Positive Racial Stereotyping. Political Research Quarterly, 70(1), 68-81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912916674273
• Visalvanich, N. (2016). When Does Race Matter? Exploring White Responses to Minority Congressional Candidates. Politics, Groups and Identities, 5(4), 618-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2016.1146152
• Hassell, H. J., & Visalvanich, N. (2015). Call to (In)Action: The Effects of Racial Priming on Grassroots Mobilization. Political Behavior, 39(4), 911-932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-014-9297-x