​Leonardo R. Arriola is currently Dean of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at the University of California, Merced. He was previously Senior Associate Dean of Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

As a political scientist, he studies the challenges associated with democratic representation and governance in multiethnic societies. His research examines inter-ethnic political cooperation, party competition under identity polarization, and political violence in divided societies. His research has been published in outlets such as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics along with books published by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. Examples of publications can be found at his Google Scholar profile.