Julian Zelizer. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

Julian Zelizer was recently named one of America’s Top Young Historians by the History News Network. The 36-year-old College of Arts and Sciences history professor, who focuses mainly on 20th-century U.S. political history, has been quoted in the media on current events. He has published two books; one, Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, won the Organization of American Historians 2000 Ellis Hawley Prize for Best Book on the Political Economy, Politics, and Institutions of the United States. He has also edited many books.

Zelizer, who also does work at Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies, is currently collaborating with another CAS history professor, Bruce Schulman, to establish an Institute of Political History at Boston University. “I … learned early on how historical research could be used to tackle contemporary questions,” Zelizer says. “To this day, I have continued to work closely with undergraduates interested in conducting their own historical research.”