Historic faculty hiring: Meet Manoj Mate

My research and expertise centers on public law, constitutional law, election law and comparative constitutional law, with a focus on law and democracy. A current project that I’m working on analyzes the Supreme Court’s application of constitutional structure-based approaches in election law cases involving voting rights, redistricting and election administration. My other research projects examine the role courts play in responding to and addressing democratic crises and threats to democracy, the role that lower courts play as constitutional guardians, and approaches and constitutional pathways to social rights recognition and enforcement.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School. I was practicing law at a big law firm in California during the 2000 presidential election and litigation saga that culminated in the Bush v. Gore decision. That moment fueled my interest in research on the role courts play in voting rights and democracy. That led me to return to school to earn my PhD in political science at Berkeley and expand my interest in constitutional and election law. During that time, I also expanded my interest in comparative law. My research focused on public law and judicial politics in India, my parent’s country of origin, and my doctoral dissertation analyzed the expansion of the role and power of the Supreme Court of India in rights and governance.

I’ve had a number of really interesting experiences. After grad school, I worked as a senior policy adviser for Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, working on public health, energy and sustainability policies. After that, I entered the legal academy and held faculty appointments at Whittier College, UC Berkeley School of Law and UC Irvine School of Law, and also served as a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School. I then joined the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, where I was named a Canada research chair in international trade law. After that, I returned to the U.S. and joined the DePaul University College of Law as a tenured faculty member and served as the inaugural faculty director of the Racial Justice Initiative at DePaul University College of Law. That brings us to my time at UB.

UB is one of the top law schools in the nation for cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, with leading scholars in many areas. Another big attraction for me was UB School of Law’s Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. It’s an exceptional place that hosts events and speakers from all over the world who are experts on a whole array of different areas of intersectional law and society. The center is such a vibrant exchange of scholars, activities and discussions. It helps to have those conversations, share research and get feedback from the community.

My wife, Seval Yildirim, joined UB as the vice provost for inclusive excellence and a law professor in 2023, as well. We both felt fortunate to be able to join such an outstanding academic community and home together.

UB has a culture of collegiality, generosity and support within the law school and the broader university. During the interview process, I had an opportunity to present a new research project and received excellent feedback from faculty. Seeing how engaged faculty are in supporting one another reaffirmed my decision to come here.

There are also opportunities to engage with the university beyond the law school. For example, I recently was invited to join UB’s Center for Information Integrity after meeting David Castillo, the center’s co-director, at an event where we talked about shared interests in the areas of information integrity and the role of media and social media in transmitting information.

I’m also very excited to work with UB students. I began teaching this spring, and I’ve been very impressed with the students in my classes. 

There’s certainly a sense of momentum at UB. The vision to be among the nation’s top public research institutions is evident in the university’s initiatives. It is also great to be in a state like New York that is committed to investing in higher education.

It’s exciting to feel like you’re a part of this major transformation taking place at the university. There are a record number of new faculty coming from outstanding institutions all over the country and choosing to be at UB. One of the best things about moving here is that the university and community are all so welcoming. 

Well for one — having never lived in a cold climate before, this is my first experience with a basement! My wife and I learned what a sump pump was the hard way during a blizzard last winter. Now, we feel like veterans of the winter. I’m always sending my West Coast family pictures of my snowy backyard or the deer wandering around neighborhoods, and they think it’s something out of a movie. Western New York is absolutely beautiful. It’s incredible to experience the area’s charm and see the beauty of all four seasons.