The Patman Center is excited to announce the recipients for the 2026 Research Award for Advancing Democracy, Alvin Xu and Joseph Amoah. The research award seeks to recognize outstanding thinkers that aim to help our democracy thrive. We hope that by uplifting their research and supporting their exceptional insight, we can continue to successfully advance democracy in our community and beyond.
Alvin Xu is a recent graduate of the UT Austin ('26), having attained a B.A. in Government with Special Honors and a B.A. in Sociology with Honors, along with a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas and minors in History; Law, Justice, and Society; and Asian American Studies. Alvin has grown into a policy wonk, taking an interest in numerous policy areas such as affordability, foreign policy, and AI/data privacy issues. Beyond policy issues, Alvin cares about addressing the increasingly toxic partisanship that is corroding American democracy today, dedicating their Senior honors thesis to analyzing how factors such as tribalistic partisanship affects collaboration between members of Congress. Alvin is passionate about influencing public policy and law, planning to attend law school to practice constitutional or public interest law in the near future and eventually serving as an elected member of Congress. In their spare time, Alvin loves to cook and play strategy board games with their loved ones. Alvin currently serves as the Policy Education Coordinator for the Paragon Policy Fellowship, a fellowship that seeks to cultivate leaders in public interest technology policy through collaboration with state and local governments.
"This award reaffirms the value and interest behind my commitment to studying and ameliorating the polarized politics of our country; if we can work together beyond labels, we can accomplish great things while striving to serve the needs of average Americans. My research indicates that bipartisan collaboration is here to stay even as tribalistic polarization has become increasingly prevalent - with my thesis, we now better understand what factors drive bipartisan or partisan collaboration, and which do not." - Alvin Xu
Joseph Amoah is a PhD candidate in the Department of Government and a Research Fellow at the Innovations for Peace and Development Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds master’s degrees in Law from Xiamen University and International Relations from UT Austin. His research interests span International Organizations, International & Comparative Political Economy, International Development, and Experimental Methods.
Joseph wields extensive research experience and has contributed to multiple projects, including serving as a team lead on field-based research in Ghana and Nigeria. Since joining the University of Texas at Austin, he has mentored several undergraduate students, a service role he greatly enjoys. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Political Behavior, World Trade Review, and China Economic Review, and featured on the official website of China’s Ministry of Commerce.
“I am grateful to have received The Patman Research Award for Advancing Democracy, as it affirms the value of sustained scholarly engagement with democracy and the resilience of its institutions. This recognition means a great deal to me and encourages my continued focus on pressing global challenges. As partisan polarization becomes increasingly entrenched in contemporary politics, I hope this work sheds light on the dangers it poses to democracy if unchecked and encourages a stronger commitment to impartial democratic institutions.”
The Patman Center congratulates Alvin and Joseph for their exceptional scholarship and dedication to serving their communities through research. Their work exemplifies The Center’s mission: preparing the next generation of civic leaders through critical inquiry, political engagement, and a passion for strengthening democracy.
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Iliana Flores-DuMond
Iliana is a proud UT Alumna who earned a bachelor's in Government at the university. After graduating she pursued a career in civic education, working with K-12 students from across the state to educate about the structure of government and the role youth play in engaging as citizens in their communities. As the Program Coordinator for YMCA Texas Youth and Government she helped to recruit and train volunteers, plan events for over 1,300 young Texans, and provide supports to educators across the state working to build the next generation of civic leaders. Along similar lines, she is now putting her experience in the civic education arena into practice as The Patman Center program coordinator.