Within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg has established a new Professorship of Empirical Political Science at the Institute of Political Science. In the winter semester 2026/27, the professorship will initially be represented by Dr. Lars Lott. At the beginning of 2027, it will be permanently filled by its future incumbent as a tenure-track professorship.
Dr. Lars Lott is a political scientist whose research focuses on the comparative study of democracies and autocracies, academic freedom, and democratic resilience. He previously worked at our Institute as a research associate at the Chair of Human Rights Politics, where he is currently on leave. Dr. Lott is also a Research Associate at the Varieties of Democracy Institute at the University of Gothenburg, one of the world’s leading collaborative research projects on the measurement of democracy.
The new professorship is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy (EXC 3039 – 533607764).
Prof. Dr. Lars Lott
Chair of Human Rights Politics
Research associates