Four UCLA School of Law professors, including leading scholars in election law, critical race studies, Native American law, and U.S.-China relations, have received appointments to endowed faculty chairs.

Faculty chairs acknowledge the distinction of the law school’s outstanding professors and are made possible by the generosity of UCLA Law’s alumni and friends. UCLA Law has 70 full-time faculty members and 39 endowed chairs.

Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) Richard L. Hasen has been appointed to the Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair in Law. A 1991 graduate of UCLA Law, he joined the law school’s faculty in 2022. Founding director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, Hasen is one of the nation’s foremost experts on election law and a go-to commentator for countless media outlets and other authorities on related issues. His newest book is A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2024). The Schwartz Chair was previously held by Distinguished Professor Emeritus Eugene Volokh, who is also a UCLA Law alumnus.

Distinguished Professor of Law and Distinguished Professor of Asian American Studies (by courtesy) Jerry Kang has been appointed to the Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Chair in Law. A widely renowned scholar of race, Asian American communities, and technology, he joined the UCLA Law faculty in 1995 and was a founding co-director of the law school’s Critical Race Studies program and PULSE: Program on Understanding Law, Science, and Evidence. From 2015 to 2020, he served as UCLA’s founding vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion. The Shapiro Chair was established in 2020 with a generous gift from UCLA alumni Ralph Shapiro ’58 and Shirley Shapiro. It was previously held by former dean Jennifer Mnookin.

Professor of Law Angela R. Riley has been appointed to the Carole Goldberg Endowed Chair in Native American Law. She has been a member of the UCLA Law faculty since 2010 and directs the Native Nations Law and Policy Center. A leading scholar of Indigenous peoples’ rights, with an emphasis on cultural property and Native governance, she is a special advisor to UCLA’s chancellor on Native American and Indigenous affairs and chairs the UCLA campus Repatriation Committee. Riley is the inaugural holder of the Goldberg Chair, which was established in 2022 with a significant contribution from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to honor UCLA Law Distinguished Research Professor Goldberg, the nation’s preeminent scholar in Indian law.

Professor of Law Alex Wang has been appointed to the Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in U.S./China Relations and Communications in UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures. A member of the UCLA Law faculty since 2013, he is a faculty co-director of UCLA Law’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. Wang’s cutting-edge research focuses on Chinese environmental governance and has included examinations of U.S.-China environmental relations and the role of state-owned enterprises in environmental governance. The Wang Chair was previously held by Min Zhou, a distinguished professor of sociology and Asian American studies, who directs the UCLA Asia Pacific Center.

“UCLA Law’s profound impact in scholarship and thought leadership is incredible, and these four professors are terrific representatives of that community-wide excellence,” says Dean Michael Waterstone. “I congratulate them on these well-deserved chair appointments and deeply thank our alumni and friends for their unwavering support and generosity, which made this possible.”