Dr. Lonna Rae Atkeson is a Professor and Regents' Lecturer in the Political Science Department at the University of New Mexico. Her general research program involves a wide number of subfields within political science including elections, campaigns, public opinion, political behavior, the media, political psychology, state politics, political attitudes, gender politics and political methodology. Her research examines the role contextual or environmental factors play in influencing the political attitudes and behaviors of political actors including candidates, the mass media, interest groups, political parties and citizens in democratic societies, especially the United States.

Professor Atkeson has received a number of honors and grants for her work. In 1998, she received the "Emerging Scholar" award from the Political Parties and Organizations Section of the American Political Science Association. The University of New Mexico named her a Regents' Lecturer in 2001. She has consulted for Pew Charitable Trusts and has had several National Science Foundation Awards. Most recently, she received a National Science Foundation grant (with Cherie Maestas of Florida State University) to support survey research on how different causal stories about human suffering following Hurricane Katrina explain attribution and blame toward government officials as well as preferences for different public policy solutions to the current crisis.