, the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected to the , one of the nation’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers.
Campbell was one of the 252 leaders in academia, the arts, journalism, policy, and science as members of the newest Academy class. Other notable names among the group include actor and director Jodie Foster, writer Barbara Kingsolver, stage and screen legend Rita Moreno and novelist Colson Whitehead.
“It is truly an honor to be elected to the Academy — it is gratifying and humbling at the same time,” Campbell said. “I am thankful that Notre Dame has provided such a supportive environment for my research and that I am surrounded by so many fantastic colleagues.”
A renowned scholar of civic and political engagement, Campbell’s work has advanced the understanding of how American attitudes toward religion have changed over the past 60 years, why secularization has rapidly advanced due to politics, and how women holding public office inspires political engagement among young people.
“We could not be more thrilled about David’s election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,” said , the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and a 2020 inductee of the Academy. “His research has transformed our understanding of how our social networks — our schools, neighborhoods and churches — shape participation in politics and, in turn, our civic life. His election recognizes and celebrates the importance of these contributions.”
Campbell is the author or co-author of five books, including “,” with Robert D. Putnam (Simon & Schuster, 2010), which won book awards from the American Political Science Association and the Religion Communicators Council. His other books include “” (Princeton, 2008) and “,” with John C. Green and Geoffrey C. Layman (Cambridge, 2020), the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Distinguished Book Award and was runner-up for the APSA’s Hubert Morken Award for the Best Book on Religion and Politics.
His most recent book, with Christina Wolbrecht, is “” (University of Chicago, 2025). He has written or co-written 20 book chapters and 38 peer-reviewed journal articles and edited three collected volumes. In February, the Academy , titled “Preparing Students for Civic Life: A Guide for Higher Education Leaders,” developed by a group of university presidents faculty, and civic experts, led by Campbell.
Campbell will be inducted into the Academy at a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October. He will join the Political Science section, whose roster of current members includes university chancellors Andrew David Martin (Washington University in St. Louis) and Daniel Diermeier (Vanderbilt University) and noted scholars Hahrie Han (Johns Hopkins University) and Putnam (Harvard University).
Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2002 and has held multiple leadership positions on campus, including chair of the from 2015 to 2021 and director of what is now known as the from 2009 to 2015. He currently serves as director of the , an interdisciplinary research, education and policy effort focused on advancing solutions to sustain and strengthen global democracy, which launched in 2023.
“Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a remarkable honor, recognizing the significance of David Campbell’s scholarship in American democracy and his national leadership in civics education,” said , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost at Notre Dame. “We are proud to have such a superb scholar-teacher as founding director of our University-wide Democracy Initiative.”
Campbell is a go-to expert and op-ed author for major media outlets seeking perspective and commentary on American politics and religion, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and The Conversation. He is the previous recipient of an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, and his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Templeton Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.
Since its founding during the American Revolution by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and other scholar-patriots, the Academy has elected leading “thinkers and doers” from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the 20th.
In addition to Campbell, more than 30 other members of Notre Dame’s faculty have been previously elected to the Academy, including President Emeritus ; , the John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy; and , professor emeritus of English and Irish studies. Other Notre Dame faculty elected to the Academy for their work in political science include Scheve; , the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Professor of Africana 91Ƶ and Political Science; and , the Eugene and Helen Conley Professor of Political Science.