Upon completion of his
PhD, Cain began his academic career at the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1976. His work as an assistant and associate professor focused on comparisons of British and American governance systems, representation and redistricting. Additionally, during his 14 years at Caltech, Cain held numerous leadership roles on academic administration committees, ranging from admissions and academic standards to the faculty board. In 1981, while on leave from the university, Cain served as a special consultant to the California Assembly Special Committee on Reapportionment. Working with NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cain's work on California's redistricting was the first effort to employ satellite maps and computer programming in the apportionment process prior to the creation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His work in the early 1980s ultimately led to the creation of the statewide database. This public data enterprise is now housed under the
Berkeley School of Law, and continues to be the primary warehouse for redistricting information and data in California. In 1989, Cain joined the faculty of what is now named The Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at University of California at
Berkeley. From 1995 to 2006, Cain was appointed the Robson Professor of Political Science, and served as the Heller Professor of Political Science from 2007 to 2012. Under the direction of Nelson W. Polsby, Cain served as the associate director of the
Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) from 1989 to 1999 and as its director from 1999 to 2007. The IGS is an interdisciplinary organized research unit (ORU) at UC Berkeley. Founded in 1919, IGS and its affiliated centers spearhead and promote research, programs, seminars and colloquia, training, educational activities, and public service in the fields of politics and public policy, with a strong focus on national and California politics. Between September 2005 - June 2012, Cain served as the executive director of the
University of California's Washington Center, “a multi-campus residential, instructional and research center that provides students and faculty from the University of California with opportunities to research, work, study and live within rich cultural, political and international heritage of our capital city.” In addition to his administrative duties as director, Professor Cain taught
undergraduate seminars on the Congress, political reform and research methodology. ==Contributions to political science==