Nina Hagel teaches classes on contemporary political theory, the history of political thought, and feminist political theory. Her research examines questions of freedom, recognition, social power, and resistance, with a focus on democratic belonging. She is currently working on a book manuscript about notions of authenticity in contemporary political discourse and in the history of political thought. Her work has been published in Polity and theory & event and has been supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2018, her article "Alternative Authenticities: Thinking Transgender Without Essence" received the American Political Science Association's Susan Okin-Iris Young Award in feminist political theory.