Senior Researcher

Ruiqian (Richie) Li, Ph.D.

Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL)
American University, Washington, DC

I am a social scientist with three research tracks: as a trained sociologist and political scientist, I study religious nationalism. Most of my work focuses on how Americans imagine a "Christian nation" in fundamentally different ways and how different versions of Christian nationalism are rooted in different religious, political, social psychological, and demographic contexts. I also study public religion—how religion influences public life in general. My ambition is to understand when religion is a positive factor and when it is a negative factor for a multicultural and healthy liberal democracy, and most importantly, why.

As a survey methodologist with eight years of experience, I am interested in designing and testing methodologically rigorous items and scales for social surveys, helping scholars and the public measure and understand cultural and social change. I am also a diehard supporter of better and more transparent practices in sociology of religion and sociology in general.

My current position is Senior Researcher at PERIL, where I design and develop evidence-based approaches—including social surveys, survey experiments, GIS mapping, and focus groups—to prevent and reduce hate crimes, radicalization, and online extremism, such as antisemitism, male supremacy, and gender-based violence.