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. I then joined the PORES (Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies) Fellowship, where I was able to work under multiple mentors studying topics such voting rights laws and career outcomes. My most recent work with the fellowship allowed me to collect and study voter turnout data for this year’s elections at the NBC Decision Desk. Also, this summer I got to bring my research skills to the think tank world at CHILD USA as a fellow for the Fox Leadership Program! Research at Penn helped me discover my unexpected academic passions, and I would love to help you navigate that same process!

• Student Research Fellow, Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (2023-Present)
• Fox Leadership Fellow (2024)
• Research Assistant, Dr. Dan Hopkins, Political Science Department (2023)

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