Dr. Jennifer Holmes
- Dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
- Professor of Political Science and of Public Policy and Political Economy
- Lloyd V. Berkner Professor
The Berkner Professorship is funded from the Excellence in Education Foundation endowment, which supports excellence at UT Dallas. Funds have been allocated to support the growth and advancement of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and are designated for the dean of the school.
“My primary motivation as dean is to create a culture that promotes excellence – facilitating research, promoting partnerships, increasing our reputation and supporting our students. Our Texas Instruments founders laid a unique base for our university with expectations of ongoing critical engagement with local industry, government and community organizations.”
Dr. Jennifer Holmes is a scholar of political violence and terrorism with a focus on Latin America.
As dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, she leads a school recognized as a national leader in research addressing critical social, political and economic issues.
Over her 25-year academic career at The University of Texas at Dallas, Holmes has shepherded more than 10 new degrees to approval, including a master’s in cybersecurity, technology and policy, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in international political economy. The school’s graduates work in government, for nonprofits and in the private sector, many in leadership roles on the local, national and global level.
Her major areas of research are political violence, terrorism and political development, specifically in Colombia and Peru. Her ongoing research is focused on four areas: the landscape ecology of conflict and post-conflict; the protection of critical infrastructures; urban quality of life; and the creation of real-time event data on political and social events in Latin America.
A professor of political science and of public policy and political economy, Holmes served as program head for both areas since 2014 and 2012, respectively. In 2011, she received the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, an honor reserved for faculty across the UT System who are recognized for exemplary service to students.
She is a past member of the Political Science Field of Study Advisory Committee for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In addition to numerous journal articles, she is an author or editor of seven books, including Guns, Drugs & Development in Colombia (2008), Terrorism and Democratic Stability Revisited (2008), Immigration Judges and U.S. Asylum Policy (2015) and Latin American Democracy: Emerging Reality or Endangered Species? (2008, 2015). She has also been co-principal investigator on National Science Foundation grants totaling more than $6.5 million.
Holmes began her academic career as a visiting assistant professor at UTD in 1998. Two years later, she was appointed assistant professor of government and politics and political economy; in 2006, she became associate professor of public policy, political economy and political science; and in 2014, she was promoted to professor. She served as interim dean of the school from 2018 until her appointment as dean in September 2019.
Holmes earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Chicago and completed her PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota. Her education was enhanced by travel and field experience in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Peru.