Upon earning his PhD, Bonikowski joined the Department of Sociology at
Harvard University as a faculty member. He also served as faculty associate at the
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and later as resident faculty at the
Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. In 2016, Bonikowski and sociologist
Paul DiMaggio published a paper in the
American Sociological Review titled "Varieties of American Popular Nationalism." Their research found supporting evidence that there were at least four kinds of American nationalists; (1) the disengaged, (2) creedal or civic nationalists, (3) ardent nationalists, and (4) restrictive nationalists. In 2020, Bonikowski announced he was leaving Harvard to accept an
associate professor position at
New York University (NYU). ==References==