Yphtach Lelkes Awarded 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship

Yphtach Lelkes, Associate Professor of Communication, was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, one of the most prestigious honors in the social sciences and humanities, in 2025.

He is one of 26 fellows who received $200,000 each to support research that seeks to understand how and why American society has become so polarized and uncover ways to fortify democracy.

Lelkes, who also co-directs the Polarization Research Lab and the Center for Information Networks and Democracy, studies how political attitudes form and evolve, focusing on public opinion, political psychology, and political communication. His project, “Rethinking Partisan Animosity as Strategic Identity Signaling,” explores the idea that partisan hostility may not stem from genuine hatred, but rather from a calculated way people express their political identities, especially in environments shaped by social media, fragmented news sources and heightened political tension.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Carnegie Fellowship,” Lelkes said. “It’s a meaningful recognition of my work on political polarization and a signal that society is taking this challenge seriously. I’m grateful for the time and support this fellowship provides, and excited to use it to understand better how we can bridge divides in an increasingly fractured political landscape.”

To date, Carnegie has named almost 300 fellows, representing a philanthropic investment of more than $59 million. The award is for a period of up to two years, and the anticipated result is generally a book or major study.

Other Annenberg scholars who have received Carnegie Fellowships include Professors Diana C. Mutz and Duncan Watts, and Associate Professor Sarah J. Jackson.