I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of Economic, Political & Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. In August 2025, I will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. I received my PhD from the Department of Political Science at Emory University. I research comparative institutions with an emphasis on the conditions under which checks and balances can constrain the behavior of governments. Specifically, I investigate how judicial and compliance-monitoring institutions lacking the tools of enforcement can uphold the legal order, while facing potentially noncooperative executives, legislatures, and citizens.

My research is featured in European Union Politics, International Organization, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Law and Courts, Journal of Politics, Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, and Political Science Research and Methods. I have received the 2022 Sage Award for best article published in European Union Politics, 2022 APSA European Politics and Society Section Ernst B. Haas Best Dissertation Award, 2022 APSA Law and Courts Section Service Award, the 2021 Neal Tate Award for best paper on judicial politics presented at the 2020 SPSA conference, and the 2020 APSA Law and Courts Section Best Graduate Student Paper Award. For more information, you can view my CV.

I am also the founder and organizer of the Junior Law and Politics Research Community. This forum is designed for junior scholars (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, assistant professors, and other non-tenured scholars) to present and receive feedback on their work and connect with other academics studying law and politics. Senior scholars are welcome to attend. If you would like to present at or attend our sessions, please fill out the following form: tinyurl.com/16ixldoz

You can contact me at sivaram.cheruvu[at]utdallas.edu or on Twitter @SivCheruvu.