Jackie Balanovsky

I came into Penn thinking that any quantitative work would be boring. When I took PSCI 1800, Introduction to Data Science, my entire view changed. I became fascinated with quantitative methodology and developed a passion for R programming. I especially enjoyed the political science context of this course, which made me realize that my previous experience with quantitative work was never related to something I really cared about. I continued to explore these interests by becoming a research assistant for Dr. Dan Hopkins, primarily by conducting in-person surveys about the recent Philadelphia mayoral primaries in locations around the city. This past summer I got to apply the R skills I learned in PSCI 1800 (and later PSCI 3800, Applied Data Science) as a PORES fellow. I assisted Dr. Michael Morse and Dr. Marc Meredith in studying ballot design in Florida and voter ID laws in Ohio. Research at Penn helped me discover my unexpected academic passions, and I would love to help you navigate that same process!

Research Programs: 
- Student Research Fellow, Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (2023-Present)
- Research Assistant, Dr. Dan Hopkins, Political Science Department (2023)

Activities: Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, Undergraduate Moot Court, Penn Undergraduate Law Journal