Ariel White

Ariel White

she/her
Political Science
Welcoming and inclusive culture

“Professor Ariel White has made my experience at MIT immeasurably better and I hope that one day I will be in a position to pay her kindness forward,” one student credited.

Ariel White is Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT. She studies voting and voting rights, race, the criminal legal system, and bureaucratic behavior. Her research uses large datasets to measure individual-level experiences, and to shed light on people’s everyday interactions with government. Her recent work investigates how potential voters react to experiences with punitive government policies, such as incarceration and immigration enforcement, and how people can make their way back into political life after these experiences.

Student wellbeing

White cares deeply about student wellbeing and departmental culture. One of her nominators shared a personal story describing that they were frequently belittled and insulted early in their graduate school journey. They had battled with whether this hurtful treatment was part of a typical grad school journey. The experience was negatively impacting their academic performance and feeling of belonging in the department. 

When she learned of it, White immediately expressed concern and reinforced that the student deserved an environment that was conducive to learning and wellbeing, and then quickly took steps to talk to the peer to ensure their interactions improved. 

“She wants me to feel valued, and is dedicated to both my growth as a scholar and my wellbeing as a person,” the nominator expressed. “This has been especially valuable as I found the adjustment to the department difficult and isolating.”

Another student commended “I am constantly in awe of the time and effort that Ariel puts into leading by example, actively fostering an inclusive learning environment, and ensuring students feel heard and empowered.”

White is a radiant example of a professor who can have an outstanding publishing record while still treating graduate students with kindness and respect.

Supportive advocate

“Ariel is the type of advisor that everyone should aspire to be and that anyone would be lucky to have,” one student reflected.

Ariel has consistently expressed her desire to support her students and advocate for them.   White says “I think one of the hardest transitions to make is the one from being a consumer of research to a producer of it.” Students are supposed to be working on something rather daunting, which is developing an idea on their own for a solo project, so it can be hard to know where to start or how to keep going.

To address this, White shared that she talks with advisees about what she’s seen work for her and for other students. She also encourages them to talk with their peers for advice and try out different ways of structuring their time or plan out goals.

“I try to help by explicitly highlighting these challenges and validating them: these are difficult things for nearly everyone who goes through the PhD program,” White adds.

She shows compassion and support to students, even those she does not advise. In the words of one nominator, “Ariel is the most caring person in this department.”