McAdams is most known for his research on communism, democratization, transitional justice, and far-right politics. He is the author of four books, including ''East Germany and Détente'', ''Germany Divided'', ''Judging the Past in Unified Germany'', and ''Vanguard of the Revolution,'' and has also co-edited books such as ''Global 1968'' and ''Contemporary Far-Right Thinkers and the Future of Liberal Democracy''. His contributions to the University of Notre Dame have won him several awards including the Thomas J. Madden Teaching Award and the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce Award. He also received a Gold Medal from the Catholic University of Slovakia and earned the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Kellogg Institute International Scholars Program, along with the DAAD Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in German Studies.
