Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier awarded Ohio State’s Pierre Agostini Prize

Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, Distinguished University Professor and Vernal Riffe Professor of Political Science at The Ohio State University, has been named the 2026 recipient of Ohio State’s Pierre Agostini Prize.

The Pierre Agostini Prize is the university’s most prestigious award for scholarly and artistic achievement and is presented annually to one faculty member in recognition of their groundbreaking and influential work.

“Professor Janet Box-Steffensmeier embodies Ohio State’s commitment to academic excellence through her extraordinary research, mentorship and service,” said Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “Her scholarship is consequential not only in her field, but across the entire Ohio State community and future generations of scholars who will benefit from her leadership and bold thinking. It’s a distinct honor to celebrate Professor Box-Steffensmeier as this year’s Pierre Agostini Prize recipient.”

Established in 2025, the prize is named for Ohio State Professor Emeritus Pierre Agostini, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023 for his work to generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electrons.

“The Pierre Agostini Prize is a distinguished recognition of research excellence, and Professor Box-Steffensmeier is a truly deserving recipient,” said John M. Horack, vice president for research. “Her groundbreaking scholarship has advanced our understanding of political behavior and methodology in profound ways, and this honor is a testament to both her individual excellence and the transformative influence of her research.”

The prize recognizes Box-Steffensmeier’s work advancing political methodology and the tools researchers use to study politics. Her interdisciplinary approach brings together mathematics, statistics and political science to examine political institutions, public opinion, elections, courts and political behavior.

Over the course of her career, Box-Steffensmeier has helped advance the use of time series analysis, event history analysis and network analysis in political science. Her work has given researchers new ways to examine not only why political events occur, but when they happen, how long their effects persist, and how political actors and institutions influence one another over time.

She has applied those methods to questions spanning American politics, including campaign spending, partisanship, congressional behavior, interest groups and judicial decision-making. Her methodological work has also reached beyond political science, providing researchers across the social sciences with tools for studying change, timing and relationships within complex social systems.

“I am honored to receive the Pierre Agostini Prize,” said Box-Steffensmeier. “This recognition reflects the collective efforts of a vibrant scholarly community dedicated to advancing knowledge and addressing important questions in political science. I am grateful for this honor and remain inspired by the opportunities to continue learning, discovering and contributing to the field.”

Her academic accomplishments have earned recognition throughout the field. She was named an inaugural Fellow of the Society for Political Methodology, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has also received the Political Methodology Career Achievement Award and the Warren E. Miller Award for Meritorious Service to the Social Sciences, and twice received the Gosnell Award for work in political methodology. In 2025, Box-Steffensmeier also received the Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement, recognizing her contributions to understanding democratic processes and advancing social science methodology.

Mentorship has been equally central to Box-Steffensmeier’s career. Undergraduate and graduate researchers continue to contribute to projects spanning political science, data analytics and artificial intelligence.

“What I enjoy most is helping students develop as scholars and researchers,” Box-Steffensmeier said. “Much of my work has been done alongside students, and I take great pride in seeing them forge their own paths, whether through creative, influential research that advances our understanding of politics and society or through successful, meaningful and impactful careers in a wide range of fields.”

Her impact as a mentor has been recognized nationally. The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research established the Box-Steffensmeier Graduate Student Award in recognition of her contributions to political methodology and her support of women in the field. She has also received Ohio State’s Distinguished Undergraduate Mentor Award and the Political Methodology Excellence in Mentoring Award.

“Ohio State has been a place where intellectual curiosity and collaboration thrive,” she said. “The support of colleagues across the university and the rich intellectual environment in political science and the social sciences have given me the opportunity to continually evolve as a scholar, pursue interdisciplinary research and explore questions that have shaped my career.”

Box-Steffensmeier was awarded the prize during the Ohio State Board of Trustees’ Academic, Research and Student Life Committee meeting on Aug. 20. She will receive a $50,000 prize, split evenly between a cash award and a research budget. She also received a medallion as a permanent reminder of the honor.

The Agostini Prize medallion features a scarlet ribbon and a polished gray medal and includes five university landmarks: Thompson Library, Orton Hall, University Hall, Mirror Lake and the Wexner Center for the Arts, representing the depth and breadth of the Ohio State experience.