Education
University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, PhD
Political Theory & Public Law (Aug. 2023 – present), ABD as of Dec. 2025
University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, MA
Political Theory & Public Law (awarded in Fall 2025 following general exams)
Research Interests: Constitutional Law and Theory; Legal Theory and Jurisprudence; Executive Authority and Emergency Powers; Environmental Law; Judicial Politics; Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties; Legal and Constitutional History; History of Political Thought
Additional Interests: Critical Legal Studies; Democratic Theory; Indigenous Political Thought; Anarchist and Libertarian Thought; Environmental Political Theory
Vassar College, BA
Political Science, Italian; correlate sequence in Environmental Studies (2018 – 2022)
Senior Thesis: Towards a Theory of Non-Invidious Environmental Governance in the Age of Climate Catastrophe: A Veblenian Critique of China’s “Ecological Civilization” (生态文明)
Senior Project: Landolfi in traduzione: tre racconti [Landolfi in Translation: Three Short Stories]
Academic Roles
Adjunct Professor, Rhode Island College (Spring 2026 – present)
- POL 102 – American Government (Fall 2026)
- POL 102 – American Government (Spring 2026); 2 sections
Instructor of Record, UConn (Spring 2026 – present)
- POLS 3802 – Constitutional Law (Spring 2027)
- HRTS/POLS 3807 – Constitutional Rights and Liberties (Fall 2026)
- POLS 1002 – Introduction to Political Theory (Spring 2026)
Graduate Teaching Assistant, UConn (Fall 2024 – Fall 2025)
- POLS 1002 – Introduction to Political Theory (Fall 2025)
- HRTS/POLS 3807 – Constitutional Rights and Liberties (Spring 2025)
- POLS 3817 – Law and Society (Spring 2025)
- POLS 1602 – Introduction to American Politics (Fall 2024)
Graduate Research Assistant, UConn (Fall 2023 – present)
- ongoing work with UConn’s Agricultural & Resource Economics, Geography, and Political Science departments on public policy and public opinion concerning renewable energy, specifically offshore wind.
Archival Research Assistant, University of Nevada, Reno (June 2025 – Aug. 2025)
- collected and digitized documents from the UConn Archives and Special Collections for the NSF grant-funded project, “The Representation and Policy Consequences of Legislative Time Allocation Decisions,” led by Dr. Jeremy Gelman (NSF #2415963).
BEACON AI Safety Policy Fellow, Beneficial and Ethical AI at UConn (Mar. 2025 – May 2025)
Academic Intern & Tutor, Vassar College, Italian Department (Aug. 2021 – May 2022)
- provided academic support and tutoring to students in Italian language and culture, while assisting departmental activities and faculty initiatives; also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Vassar Italian Post, overseeing editorial content, graphic design, student contributions, and publication.
Research & Teaching Assistant, Vassar College, Department of Political Science (Sept. 2019 – Dec. 2021)
- assisted Professor Taneisha N. Means in the Political Science Department and Africana Studies Program with research on judicial politics, judicial behavior in U.S. superior courts, race, and the criminal justice system.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Robert T.F. Downes. (2025). “Constitutional Dictatorship and Enemies Within: A Constitutional and Historical Analysis of the Alien and Sedition Acts from John Adams to Donald Trump.” The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development 10, no. 1, 1-53.
Available at: https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol10/iss1/4/
Robert T.F. Downes. (2025). “Green Anarchy & Red Praxis: An Anarcho-Indigenous Dialogue Towards a Democracy of Species.” Anarchist Studies 33, no. 2, 6-49. https://doi.org/10.3898/AS.33.2.01
Robert T.F. Downes. (2024). “Natural Dialectics: Māori & Sioux Ecosophy Encounters the Rule of Law.” The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development 9, no. 1, 1-21.
Available at: https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol9/iss1/2
Robert T.F. Downes. (forthcoming). “Reason vs. Reverence: Unsettling Social Ecology’s Enlightenment Roots with Indigenous Cosmologies.” Harbinger: A Journal of Social Ecology. https://harbinger-journal.com/
Law Review Articles
Robert T.F. Downes. (2025). “Federal Judges and Free Speech: Testing Jurisprudential Regime Theory and Ideological Effects in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.” National Lawyers Guild Review 80, vol. 2, no. 1, pt. 2, 34-54.
Available at: nlg.org
Legal Commentary
Robert T.F. Downes. (Aug. 12, 2026). “Statute by Statute: The Future of ESG After Loper Bright.” Yale Journal on Regulation: Notice & Comment (published in partnership with the American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice). Available at: yalejreg.com
Working Papers
Robert T.F. Downes. (2026). “America’s Leviathan: From Hobbes to Trump on Crisis Constitutionalism and Emergency Powers.” Working Paper, presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference (2026).
Robert T.F. Downes. (2026). “Judicial Ideology, Electoral Justice, and Campaign Finance: A Quantitative Analysis of Supreme Court Decision-Making (1947-2023).” Working Paper, presented at the 5th Annual Virtual Electoral Integrity Conference co-hosted by The Carter Center and the Electoral Integrity Project (2025).
Robert T.F. Downes, Samuel Ayivi, Nathaniel Trumbull, Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Vanessa Heigel, and Syma A. Ebbin. (2026). “Scales of Discontent and Distrust in Offshore Wind Transitions: State Mandates, Constitutional Home Rule, and NIMBYism in Barnstable, Cape Cod.” Working Paper, presented at the Energy Geography Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society’s Just Energy Transitions Conference (2025) and the American Association of Geographers Conference (2026).
Robert T.F. Downes. (2026). “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Law in a Post-Chevron Era: Implications for Business Ethics, Corporate Responsibility, and Judicial Decision-Making.” Working Paper, presented at the North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business Conference (2025); awarded Best Conference Paper.
Book Chapters in Progress
Robert T.F. Downes. (2026). “AI and the General Will: Protecting Public Deliberation and Democratic Consent in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Book chapter in progress for the Electoral Integrity Project’s Securing Elections in an Age of Artificial Intelligence edited volume.
Preprints
Robert T.F. Downes. (Sept. 10, 2025). “Generative AI's Implications for Democratic Elections in a World at Risk: A Dahlian Perspective.” Electoral Integrity Project, Pre-APSA Workshop. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5988394 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5988394
Robert T.F. Downes. (June 16, 2025). “Utopia vs. Uchronia: Political Imaginaries on the Left and Right.” Alternative Futures and Popular Protest Conference.
Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5994394 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5994394
Robert T.F. Downes. (Apr. 20, 2025). “Haudenosaunee vs. Habermas: Indigenous Democratic Traditions and the Boundaries of Deliberative Democratic Theory.” New England Political Science Association Conference. Available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=6513161 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6513161
Robert T.F. Downes. (Apr. 17, 2025). “Mycelial Politics: Radical Ecology and Renewal in the Anthropocene.” Western Political Science Association Conference. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5948694 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5948694
Robert T.F. Downes. (Apr. 11, 2025). “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Law in a Post-Chevron Era: Implications for Business Ethics, Corporate Responsibility, and Judicial Decision-Making.” North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business Conference; awarded Best Conference Paper. Available at https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.15513.58729
Media/Public Writing
Robert T.F. Downes. (July 31, 2026). “Opinion: Before you vote, learn Duverger’s Law.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2026/07/31/before-you-vote-learn-duvergers-law-robert-t-f/
Robert T.F. Downes. (June 22, 2026). “Opinion: The free press must be free.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2026/06/22/the-free-press-must-be-free/
Robert T.F. Downes. (May 19, 2026). “Opinion: CT’s AI bills are not the finish line.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2026/05/19/cts-ai-bills-are-not-the-finish-line/
Robert T.F. Downes. (May 14, 2026). “Opinion: An AI future must be a solarpunk future.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2026/05/14/an-ai-future-must-be-a-solarpunk-future/
Robert T.F. Downes. (Mar. 3, 2026). “Machiavelli e la virtù civica.” Il Chiasmo. L’Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana / Treccani. https://www.treccani.it/magazine/chiasmo/storia_e_filosofia/Tema_libero/machiavelli-e-la-virtu-civica.html
Robert T.F. Downes. (Jan. 6, 2026). “Opinion: In CT, remember that your political opponent is still your neighbor.” The Hartford Courant. https://www.courant.com/2026/01/06/opinion-in-ct-remember-that-your-political-opponent-is-still-your-neighbor/
Robert T.F. Downes. (Jan. 6, 2026). “Opinion: AI is stunting critical thinking.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2026/01/06/ai-is-stunting-critical-thinking/
Robert T.F. Downes. (Jan. 5, 2026). “Essay #112: Robert T.F. Downes, ‘Green Anarchy and Red Praxis’.” Anarchist Essays by the Anarchism Research Group (ARG) at Loughborough University.
Available at: Spotify | YouTube
Robert T.F. Downes. (Dec. 7, 2025). “Opinion: It’s time for change in Connecticut’s 1st congressional district.” The Hartford Courant. https://www.courant.com/2025/12/07/opinion-its-time-for-change-in-connecticuts-1st-congressional-district/
Robert T.F. Downes. (Nov. 26, 2025). “Opinion: Academic freedom should extend to UConn graduate assistants.” CT Mirror. https://ctmirror.org/2025/11/26/academic-freedom-should-extend-to-uconn-graduate-assistants/
Conference Presentations
“The Majesty of Law and the Separation of Powers: Sandra Day O’Connor as a Platonic Philosopher-Queen” - New England Political Science Association (April 2026), Section: Public Law, Panel: Constitutional Politics
“America’s Leviathan: From Hobbes to Trump on Crisis Constitutionalism and Emergency Powers” - Midwest Political Science Association (April 2026), Section: Political Philosophy, Panel: Reckoning with Liberalism
“To Be a Place-Based Fugitive: A Mycelial Fugue of Indigenous and Maroon Ecologies” - Western Political Science Association (April 2026), Section: Environmental Political Theory, Panel: Ecological Cosmology, Spirituality, and Ontology (Abstract accepted; unable to attend)
“Scales of Discontent and Distrust in Offshore Wind Transitions: State Constitutions, Municipal Sovereignty, and NIMBYism in Barnstable, Cape Cod” - American Association of Geographers (March 2026), Panel: Energy Justice, Public Acceptance and Renewable Energy Transitions for Wind Projects: Interdisciplinary Approaches among International and U.S. Case Studies, with Samuel Ayivi, Vanessa Heigel, Dr. Nathaniel Trumbull, Dr. Syma Ebbin, and Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo
“Decolonial Art and Political Consciousness: Interpreting Zapatista Textiles Through Cusicanqui’s Sociología de la imagen” - Decolonization & Global Justice Conference, University of Oregon, Decolonial Philosophies Collaboratory (January 2026), Panel: Aesthetics & Pedagogy
“Ch’ixi Ecologies: Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui and Bolivia’s Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra [Law of the Rights of Mother Earth]” - New England Council of Latin American Studies (November 2025), Theme: Borders, Crossing & Environments: Narratives, Archives, and Encounters, Panel: Indigenous Ecologies, Epistemologies, and Sociopolitical Expressions
“Federal Judges and Free Speech: Jurisprudential Regime Theory and Ideological Influences on Appellate-Level First Amendment Decisions” - Northeastern Political Science Association (November 2025), Section: Judicial Politics & Public Law, Panel: Federalism Issues and Lower Courts as Policymakers
“Generative AI’s Implications for Democratic Elections in a World at Risk: A Dahlian Perspective” - Electoral Integrity Project, Pre-APSA Workshop (September 2025), Theme: Technology and the Future of Democracy, Panel: Artificial Intelligence and Elections
“Scales of Discontent: State Constitutions, Municipal Sovereignty, and NIMBYism in Offshore Wind Transitions” - Just Energy Transitions (One Day Online Conference), Energy Geography Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society, London (July 2025), with Samuel Ayivi and Dr. Nathaniel Trumbull
“Judicial Ideology, Electoral Justice, and Campaign Finance: A Quantitative Analysis of Supreme Court Decision-Making (1947-2023)” - The Carter Center & Electoral Integrity Project, 5th Annual Virtual Electoral Integrity Conference (July 2025), Panel: Electoral Justice
“Ideology, Institutions, and Environmental Protections: A Quantitative Analysis of Judicial Behavior in the U.S. Courts of Appeals” - International Society of Political Psychology (July 2025), Theme: Social Identity, Political Conflict, and the Future of Democracy, Section: Political Behavior, Participation, and Civic Engagement, Panel: Economic Anxiety, Judicial, and Political Behavior
“Utopia vs. Uchronia: Political Imaginaries on the Left & Right” - Alternative Futures and Popular Protest, University of Manchester, Movements@Manchester (June 2025)
“Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Law in a Post-Chevron Era: Implications for Business Ethics, Corporate Responsibility, and Judicial Decision-Making” - North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business (May 2025) - Awarded Best Conference Paper
“Haudenosaunee vs. Habermas: Indigenous Democratic Traditions and the Boundaries of Deliberative Democratic Theory” - New England Political Science Association (April 2025), Section: Political Theory, Panel: Individuality, Uniqueness, and Authenticity
“Mycelial Politics: Radical Ecology & Renewal in the Anthropocene” - Western Political Science Association (April 2025), Theme: A New Requiem for Politics? Racing Toward Catastrophe—or Transformation?, Section: Environmental Political Theory, Panel: Critical Ecology
“Public Acceptance of Offshore Wind’s Landfall in Southern New England” - American Association of Geographers (March 2025), with Samuel Ayivi and Dr. Nathaniel Trumbull, Theme: Making Spaces of Possibility, Panel: Public Acceptance, Justice Perspectives, and Renewable Energy Transitions for Wind Projects: Interdisciplinary Approaches among International and U.S. Case Studies
“Judicial Ideology & Federal Environmental Protections: An Empirical Study of U.S. Courts of Appeals” - Northeastern Political Science Association (November 2024), Section: Judicial Politics & Public Law, Panel: Judges and Courts as Governing Institutions
“Procedural Justice and Offshore Wind’s Landfall in Southern New England” - North American Wind Energy Academy (NAWEA) / WindTech (October 2024), co-author/research assistant, with faculty and graduate students from UConn’s Agricultural & Resource Economics, Geography, and Political Science departments: Samuel Ayivi, Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Oksan Bayulgen, Syma Ebbin, Vanessa Heigel, Lyle Scruggs, Nathaniel Trumbull
“Procedural Justice and Offshore Wind’s Landfall in Southern New England” - New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society (October 2024), co-author/research assistant, with faculty and graduate students from UConn’s Agricultural & Resource Economics, Geography, and Political Science departments: Samuel Ayivi, Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Oksan Bayulgen, Syma Ebbin, Vanessa Heigel, Lyle Scruggs, Nathaniel Trumbull
“Green Anarchy & Red Praxis: An Anarcho-Indigenous Dialogue Towards a Democracy of Species” - Caribbean Philosophical Association (June 2024), Theme: Decolonizing Epistemologies, Panel: Afro-Latine Theorizing: Epistemic Harm and Resistance
“Natural Dialectics: Māori & Sioux Ecosophy Encounters the Rule of Law” - American Graduate School in Paris (April 2024), Theme: Global Boiling Point: Old Problems and New Solutions, Panel: Indigenous Issues & Social Justice
“Offshore Wind Blows Ashore: Best Practices for the Equitable Siting of Offshore Wind Points of Interconnection in Coastal Communities” - The Sustainable Clean Energy Summit: Decarbonizing Society and the Grid (October 2023)
“Court Canaries: Black State Court Judges’ Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System and Visions for Its Future” - Law & Society Association (May 2021), co-author/undergraduate research with Professor Taneisha N. Means and Kremena Mestanova, Panel: CRT in the Courtroom, Section: Critical Research on Race and the Law
“Identity, Methodology, and the Joys and Challenges of Doing Judicial Politics Research” - Southern Political Science Association (January 2020), co-author/undergraduate research with Professor Taneisha N. Means, Ha Bui, Hayley Craig, Phoebe Jacoby, and Joseph Kelly, Panel: Descriptive Representation and Courts, Section: Judicial Politics
Academic Service
Electoral Integrity Project & The Carter Center, 2026 Virtual Elections Conference
Discussant, Panel: Voter Perceptions and Trust (July 2026)
Social Media Committee, Western Political Science Association (May 2026 – present)
Reader & Award Committee Member, Aetna Writing for Social Justice Award,
University of Connecticut (Feb. 2026 – Apr. 2026)
New England Political Science Association (NEPSA)
Discussant, Panel: Conflicts for the Ages, Section: Political Theory (April 2026)
Discussant, Panel: Liberal Democracy Under Duress, Section: Politics and History (April 2026)
Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA)
Discussant, Panel: Changes in Labour Practices and Policies, Section: Comparative Political Economy (April 2026)
Vice President, Political Science Graduate Student Association (Nov. 2025 – present)
Ad Hoc Reviewer, Philosophy & Global Affairs (Dec. 2025 – present)
Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Human Rights (Aug. 2025 – present)
UConn Political Theory Workshop:
Lead Coordinator (Aug. 2026 – present)
Discussant, “Throwing Like a Boy: Trans-Masculinization, Mixed Martial Arts Masculinity and the War of Position over the Athletic Body,” by Dr. Kevin Bruyneel, Professor of Politics, Babson College (December 2025)
Presenter, “Love & Anarchy: Translating Virgilia D’Andrea’s Anarcha-Femmina Poetics and Politics of Free Love” (October 2025)
Discussant, “Fear of a Blank Planet: On the Possibility of a Planetary Turn in Political Theory” by Kamran Moshref, PhD Candidate, Political Science, CUNY Graduate Center (September 2024)
Discussant, “Of Glaciers and Whiteness: Ecofascism, Genre, and the Existential Risks of the American Environmental Imagination” by Dr. April Anson, Assistant Professor of English, UConn Storrs (November 2023)
Grants, Fellowships, and Awards
Jorgensen Fellowship, University of Connecticut, The Graduate School, 2023-2028
Governor Abraham Ribicoff Fellowship, University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, 2024
George F. Cole Dissertation Fellowship in Public Law, University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, 2024, 2025 & 2026
Fund for Legal Studies Fellowship, University of Connecticut, Department of Political Science, 2025 & 2026
BEACON AI Safety Policy Fellow, Beneficial and Ethical AI at UConn (BEACON), 2025
American Studies Research Fund, University of Connecticut, Department of Social and Critical Inquiry (American Studies), 2025
Best Conference Paper, North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business, 2025
Conference Participation Award, University of Connecticut, The Graduate School, 2025
Conference Travel Award, Electoral Integrity Project, Technology and the Future of Democracy (Pre-APSA Workshop), 2025
Summer Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Connecticut, The Graduate School, 2026
Undergraduate Honors & Awards:
Julia Flitner Lamb Prize in Political Science, Vassar College, Department of Political Science, 2022
Phi Beta Kappa, Mu Chapter of Vassar College, 2022
Dean of the College Award for Volunteer Contributions to Campus Life, Vassar College, 2022
Departmental Honors, Vassar College, Department of Political Science, 2022
Departmental Honors, Vassar College, Italian Department, 2022
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
Current:
American Association of Geographers (2025 – present)
Association for Political Theory (2026 – present)
Electoral Integrity Project, Project Contributor (2025 – present)
Law & Society Association (2021 – 2022; 2026 – present)
Midwest Political Science Association (2026 – present)
Northeastern Political Science Association (2024 – present)
New England Political Science Association (2025 – present)
Western Political Science Association (2024 – present)
Previous:
Caribbean Philosophical Association (2024 – 2025)
International Society of Political Psychology (2025 – 2026)
New England Council of Latin American Studies (2025 – 2026)
North East Academy of Legal Studies in Business (2025 – 2026)
Southern Political Science Association (2021 – 2022)
If you’d like to view my non-academic employment history and community service, connect with me on LinkedIn!
