Sarah Birch

Sarah Birch, (born 5 December 1963) is an American political scientist and academic, specialising in comparative politics. Since 2016, she has been Professor of Political Science at King's College London. She had taught at the University of Essex between 1996 and 2013, and held the Chair of Comparative Politics at the University of Glasgow between 2013 and 2016.

Early life and education Birch was born on 5 December 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. She then moved to the United Kingdom to study at the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford.

Having earned three degrees in literature, Birch turned to politics. She studied political behaviour at the University of Essex, graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1994.

Academic career In 1996, while still studying for her second doctorate, Birch was appointed a lecturer at the University of Essex. In July 2013, she joined the University of Glasgow where she had been appointed to the Chair of Comparative Politics. In 2016, she joined King's College London as Professor of Political Science and Director of Research of its Department of Political Economy.

Honours In 2013, Birch was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.

Selected works