Heather Hicks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Colorado State University.  Her research broadly focuses on race and gender in American politics and the psychological mechanisms that underlie public opinion and political behavior.  She uses survey and experimental methods to study the influence attitudes about race and gender have on Americans’ political beliefs and decision-making.  Her research has been published in the American Journal of Political Science and Political Psychology. Heather received her Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland.  She also holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida’s Political Campaigning Program and a B.A. in Political Studies from Westminster College, in Salt Lake City.