These experts from the UW–Madison faculty and staff have agreed to comment on breaking news, ongoing developments and trends in their areas of expertise. If you need help arranging interviews, email the Office of Strategic Communication.
Experts on the news
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Barry Burden on: Wisconsin April 1 election
Barry Burden is the director of the Elections Research Center at UW–Madison and an expert on American and Wisconsin state politics. He can speak to media about the upcoming April 1 election in Wisconsin. Examples of past media engagements include:
- "A democracy with everythign but a choice"- New York Times, 2024"
- An unseen problem with the Electoral College – it tells bad guys where to target their efforts"- The Conversation, 2024
- "With Biden out of the race, what happens next in the Democratic nomination process?"- Wisconsin Public Radio, 2024
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Charles (Chuck) Nicholson on: Tariffs and agriculture
Chuck Nicholson, associate professor of Animal and Dairy Sciences and Agricultural and Applied Economics, is an an agricultural economist with extensive experience studying the dairy industry and food sysytems and producing research relevant to producers and public policymakers. He is available for interviews about the likely impacts of tariffs on the dairy industry in Wisconsin and beyond.
Recent interviews include:
- Farmers Fear More Pain From Trump’s Trade War (March 4, 2025, TIME)
- Ag industry leaders say Trump policy changes on trade, immigration could hurt farmers (Feb. 5, 2025, Wisconsin State Farmer)
- New farmer survey could signal slowdown in Wisconsin dairy farm losses (Sept. 30, 2024, Wisconsin Public Radio)
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Mariel Barnes on: Andrew Tate and the manosphere
Mariel Barnes, an assistant professor of public affairs and expert on violence against women and the manosphere, is available for interviews about controversial influencer Andrew Tate arriving in the U.S., his political influence and the influence of the manosphere in President Trump’s election and agenda. Tate is a central figure in the online movement against feminism, women’s rights, and gender equality known as the “manosphere.”
Recent interviews and op-eds include:
- Deadly domestic abuse cases show why gun violence is a top concern in Wisconsin (May 30, 2024 op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Abortion a risky campaign topic for GOP candidates, experts say (May 25, 2024 in the Cap Times)
- Mariel Barnes and a new study on domestic violence (November 3, 2023 on WORT-FM’s 8 O’Clock Buzz)
- Wisconsin reaches an all-time high in domestic violence-related deaths (October 25, 2023 on WPR’s Central Time)
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Yoshiko Herrera on: Russia and Ukraine
Yoshiko Herrera is a professor of political science who researches Russian politics, nationalism, identity, and ethnic politics. She is currently teaching a course at UW–Madison on the Russian-Ukraine war.
Previous interviews include:
- "Ukrainian bakery in Wausau becomes beacon of support for people back home"- Channel 7 WSAW-TV (2025)
- "Russia-Ukraine conflict history; professors provide details"- Fox 6 Milwaukee (2022)
