U-M PhD candidate, Nicole Yadon, has won the Midwest Political Science Association's (MPSA) Lucius Barker Award for her paper, The Politics of Skin Color: Measuring Public Opinion & Skin Tone Identity. The Lucius Barker Award is given for the best paper on a topic investigating race or ethnicity and politics and honoring the spirit and work of Stanford University's Professor Barker.

Nicole's primary research interests include race, gender, public opinion, and political behavior in the American context.