Jennifer Lawless is leaving Rhode Island.

A Brown University political science professor and one-time Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress, Lawless, 33, reported Wednesday that she has been chosen to lead American University's Women and Politics Institute in Washington, D.C. beginning this summer.

She leaves Brown just after becoming tenured, according to a message distributed to friends and media earlier Wednesday.

"Almost everything I have done personally, professionally, and politically for the last six years has been geared to increase women's political representation," Lawless wrote. "The Women and Politics Institute, and its location in Washington, will provide me the proximity and platform to broaden the scope and reach of my research, as well as shape the national dialogue regarding women and politics.

Lawless challenged Rep. James Langevin in the 2006 Democratic primary; she raised more than $350,000 in the effort. The election was not lost on American University.

"Dr. Lawless is at the forefront of academic research and writing about women in politics and, specifically, women's political ambition. And she waged an incredibly strong campaign for Congress," said former institute director Karen O'Connor in a statement issued by the univeristy. "Her vision for the future of women in all facets of politics, and her unparalleled record of scholarship on the issue, brings tremendous assets to the thriving institute."

Officially, the university reports that the institute's mission is "to provide academic training to women so as to encourage them to become involved in the political process, as well as to facilitate research by faculty and students that enhances the understanding of the challenges women face in the political arena."