Michael Bruter is professor of political science at the London School of Economics and Director of the Electoral Psychology Observatory. He has developed a distinguished research profile in the sub-field of voters’ psychology, political behaviour, and political science research methods winning multiple awards for his research and its impact including the Market Research Society Award for Best International Research and ESRC 10^th Anniversary Celebrating Impact Award for Outstanding International Impact.

Bruter has been the recipient of over €5 million in research grants from large external funding bodies such as the ERC and the ESRC for frontier-breaking projects. Recent examples include a new ERC Advanced Grant to study electoral hostility (why people hate each other because of elections and how to resolve the resulting rifts), an ESRC grant on the electoral experience of first time voters, and a study of electoral psychology in over 20 countries which has encompassed a broad range of innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Bruter was the first social scientist invited to give the annual STOA keynote lecture on the future of science and technology to the European Parliament, and has advised and worked with multiple Electoral Commissions as well as the European Commission, Committee of the Regions and many International Organisations.

Bruter has published eight books, including Inside the Mind of a Voter co-authored by Sarah Harrison and published by Princeton University Press in 2020, and Citizens of Europe (Springer). He has also published numerous journal articles focused on topics within the fields of voters’ psychology, political behaviour, identity, and social science research methods.

Photo: © Christian-Lionel Dupont