Hello!
My name is Paige Pellaton (she/her), and I am an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. I study American politics, with a focus on state legislatures, committee systems, legislative productivity, political elites, and democratic representation. I teach courses on California politics and public policy.
I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, in 2024, with a specialization in American politics. After graduating, I served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at the University of California Center Sacramento, the experiential learning arm of the UC system, and as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Florida down in Jacksonville.
I am adopted from China but consider myself a New Englander at heart. Over the years, I’ve lived up and down the East Coast—in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida—before coming out to California. When I’m not teaching, I’m likely reading! I am a big fan of fantasy novels (especially N.K. Jemisin and Ursula K. Le Guin) and espionage thrillers (John le Carré is a favorite). I also enjoy painting, spending time with my cat, cheering for the Las Vegas Raiders with my dad, and watching Sacramento Kings games with my husband. Light the Beam!
You can follow me on Twitter at @PaigePellaton, on Bluesky at @paigepellaton.bsky.social, or on LinkedIn.
Paige Pellaton, PhD 