Andrew D. Martin

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Andrew D. Martin is an American political scientist and the 15th chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, a role he has held since June 1, 2019. He was previously the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan from 2014 to 2018. He was named WashU’s chancellor by the board of trustees on July 14, 2018, began as chancellor-elect on January 1, 2019, and became chancellor on June 1, 2019.

During his tenure, Martin has led several major initiatives. He introduced the WashU Pledge to help eligible Missouri and southern Illinois students, launched the $1 billion Gateway to Success initiative in 2021, and in 2023 helped establish a no-loan policy that will replace federal loans with scholarships and grants starting in fall 2024. In February 2019 he announced the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity, which opened in August 2020.

WashU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic included an earlier campus shutdown, delays to the 2020 fall and 2021 spring terms, and the development of a scalable saliva-based diagnostic test. In 2024, Martin started local-engagement efforts such as the “In St. Louis, for St. Louis” campaign, extended offerings through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and launched the St. Louis Confluence Collaborative. The university’s economic impact on the region reached about $8.8 billion in fiscal 2024.

That year also saw protests on campus, including sit-ins and an encampment outside Brookings Hall. Police arrests followed, drawing both criticism and support from various community leaders and groups. Martin has also contributed to academia through research and teaching, co-authoring An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research and Judicial Decision-Making: A Coursebook, and with Kevin Quinn developing the Martin-Quinn scores for Supreme Court ideology. In 2021, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Education and early work: Martin earned a BA from the College of William and Mary and a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. His PhD advisor was Lee Epstein, and his doctoral thesis was on strategic decision-making and the separation of powers.