Virtual Student Time on Zoom: https://uky.zoom.us/j/94457487664

Monday 3-4 p.m.; Tuesday & Thursday 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., or by appointment

Click to schedule time with me.

University of Kentucky, PhD Political Science (2020)
University of Kentucky, MA Political Science (2019)
The George Washington University, MPS Political Management (2014)
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, BA Political Science (2010)

Dr. Travis N. Taylor is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky, where he is teaches courses American politics with an emphasis on law, courts, and judicial politics. He is an active researcher and innovative teacher.

Dr. Taylor's current research focuses on the policy implications of judicial selection institutions in the states. He is more specifically investigating how racial disparities in state prisons and incarceration rates more broadly differ based on the selection mechanism for trial court judges. Additionally, he is investigating the responsiveness of trial court judges in the states to public opinion on crime and punishment. More broadly, Dr. Taylor is interested in research on political campaigns, especially in non-federal campaigns, and in voter and elite behavior. He is also interested in researching the political consultancy, political psychology, and U.S. elections policy.

In addition to a robust research agenda, Dr. Taylor is actively engaged in the teaching of politics. While at UK, he has taught or co-taught American Government (PS101), Politics of Law & Courts (PS360), State & Local Government (PS458), Civil Liberties (PS461G), Judicial Politics (PS463G), and Political Campaigns & Elections (PS472G). He additionally assised Dr. Tiffany Barnes with both the Frankfort and Washington, DC internship programs in the Spring of 2020. He previously held instructional positions at the George Washington University and New York University, where he taught applied politics. In addition the courses listed, Dr. Taylor is interested in teaching courses on American political institutions, American public law, state and local government, political parties, public policy, and public administration.

Dr. Taylor earned his PhD (August 2020) and a Master's Degree (August 2019) in Political Science from UK. Prior to beginning his doctoral work, Dr. Taylor earned a Master's Degree in Political Management from the George Washington University (May 2014) and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Louisiana (December 2010).

In 2017, Dr. Taylor, a tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was named a Minority Fellow by the American Political Science Association, an award that was covered by the University of Kentucky Public Relations and Marketing.

Prior to coming to UK, Dr. Taylor was a successful political consultant, amassing a nearly 70 percent win record, and worked in the Louisiana State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dr. Taylor lives with his wife, their two sons (ages 4 and 1), and their two Boxers in Cincinnati, Ohio, just a short commute from UK's Lexington campus.