Mara Ostfeld
Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld is the interim managing director at the Center for Racial Justice and a research associate professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She also serves as a faculty lead of the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study—an ongoing, representative survey of Detroit households that captures residents’ expectations, perceptions, priorities, and aspirations.
An expert in survey research and the analysis of public opinion, Dr. Ostfeld’s work focuses on the psychology of political attitudes. Her research has been published in leading journals including Social Forces, Political Behavior, Political Psychology, and Political Communication, and supported by institutions such as the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.
She is the principal investigator of the Puerto Rico Public Opinion Lab—led in collaboration with Mayra Vélez Serrano and Luis Cámara Fuertes at the University of Puerto Rico—which is implementing the first large-scale, representative study of political attitudes across Puerto Rico.
During national elections, Dr. Ostfeld also serves as a political analyst for NBC and Telemundo.
Educational background
- PhD in political science, University of Pennsylvania
- MA in political science, University of Pennsylvania
- MPP, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
- BA in social work, Rutgers University
Professional affiliations
- American Political Science Association
- Midwest Political Science Association
Recent publications
"Revisiting the effects of case studies in the news," with Diana Mutz. (forthcoming). Political Communications.
