Alexander Podkul, Ph.D.

Welcome! I’m Alexander Podkul, a Data Science Fellow with Øptimus Analytics. I am also an adjunct professor with the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Previously, I worked as part of The Primaries Project at The Brookings Institution.

My academic research has focused on elections, especially congressional primaries.  Generally speaking, my work applies quantitative methodological approaches to questions on voter behavior and political ideology.  My dissertation — “Primary Elections and Political Polarization: Exploring Ideological Heterogeneity in Primary Electorates” — studies the varying ideological representativeness of primary voters across constituencies using large-scale surveys and voter file data.  Some of my research on congressional primaries has been covered by CNN, National Review, Politico, and The Atlantic.