Takis S. Pappas is a political scientist and author. He has held teaching and research positions at Central European University, Budapest, the European University Institute in Florence, Princeton University and Yale University among others. An expert on populism, democracy and contemporary European and Greek politics, Pappas has researched and published widely on these subjects. His latest book is On the Tightrope: National Crises and Brinkmanship in Greece from Trikoupis to Tsipras. He is now preparing a new comparative study under the title Illiberal Democracy: How Populism Grows to Menace Democracy. Pappas holds a Ph.D. in Political Sociology from Yale University.