Mike Zilis

Mike Zilis is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor in the Department of Political Science. He previously served as Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, and founder of the Law and Justice program. He joined the UK faculty in 2015 after receiving his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Zilis's research and teaching focus on law and courts and political behavior. His books include The Rights Paradox (Cambridge University Press), examining Supreme Court equal protection decisions and their implications for democracy; The Limits of Legitimacy (University of Michigan Press), an "Exemplary Law Book of 2015"; and Compliance and the Rule of Law in America (forthcoming with Cambridge University Press Elements in Experimental Political Science), with Justin Wedeking.  His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and has been published in outlets including the American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Behavior, and the Georgia Law Review.

In his work with students, Dr. Zilis has been nominated for the Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award and named a finalist for the Provost's Award for Outstanding Teaching.  In 2019, he won the Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Arts & Sciences.