IE University Scholars, Conner Joyce and Vicente Valentim, Recognized by APSA for Excellence in Political Science Research

Two IE University scholars from IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, Conner Joyce and Vicente Valentim, have been recognized by the American Political Science Association (APSA), the leading professional association for political science worldwide, for their research excellence and impact in political science. Conner Joyce, Assistant Professor, International Relations Department has received the 2026 Franklin L. Burdette/Pi Sigma Alpha Award, which recognizes the best paper presented at the previous APSA Annual Meeting. Vicente Valentim, Assistant Professor, Comparative Politics Department, has been honored with two prestigious APSA awards recognizing emerging scholars. 

Joyce’s award-winning paper, Political Action in the Dark Web, examines how political mobilization and radicalization spread through cybercriminal communities operating in anonymous online networks. Drawing on an original dataset of nearly 400,000 website defacements and more than 30 million words of online content, Joyce combines computational methods and political science theory to show how social ties among cybercriminals can facilitate the diffusion of political and radical ideas. His findings challenge conventional assumptions about radicalization and demonstrate that strong social bonds and political influence can develop even in anonymous digital environments.

APSA’s award committee highlighted the paper’s innovative contribution to the study of political mobilization, noting its integration of insights from political behavior, social movements, terrorism studies, and social psychology, as well as its relevance for understanding emerging security challenges in an increasingly digital world. Joyce is an incoming faculty member who earned his Ph.D. from Rice University this year. 

Valentim, for his part, has received the Theda Skocpol Prize for Emerging Scholars from APSA’s Comparative Politics Section, which honors researchers whose work has made significant empirical, theoretical, or methodological contributions to the field. He has also been awarded the Emerging Scholar Award from APSA’s Political Organizations and Parties Section, presented to a scholar whose career demonstrates unusual promise before tenure.

A political scientist whose research focuses on comparative politics, political behavior, and political culture, Valentim earned his Ph.D. from the European University Institute in 2021. His work examines how social norms shape political attitudes and behavior, offering new perspectives on contemporary political dynamics and democratic change.

The Future of Political Science

Valentim also attended the 2026 APSA Annual Meeting in Boston, one of the discipline’s leading international gatherings, where scholars from around the world convene to present new research and discuss the future of political science. During the conference, he presented new work examining how political ideologies become stigmatized and the consequences of that process for contemporary politics.

Vicente Valentim has also received the 2026 AECPA Award for Best Book, for The Normalization of the Radical Right: A Norms Theory of Political Supply and Demand. Published by Oxford University Press, the book examines the role of social norms in the growth and normalization of the radical right among voters and political actors.

"These recognitions are a wonderful testament to the quality and relevance of the research being conducted at IE University", said Juan Santaló, Vice-Rector of Faculty & Research at IE University. "Conner and Vicente are producing rigorous, innovative work on some of the most pressing challenges facing contemporary societies, from political behavior in digital environments to the forces shaping democratic attitudes and institutions", he added.