“The scientist is a communicator as well as a discoverer—sometimes even a missionary.”
—Herbert A. Simon
Hello! I am Jae. I am a political scientist by training, a data scientist in practice, and a civic tech nerd at heart.
I am an Assistant Research Scientist at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where I co-developed the Mapping the Modern Agora Project. I am also a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Better Government Lab, based at Georgetown University’s McCourt School and University of Michigan’s Ford School. In January 2026, I will join the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill as an Assistant Professor of Public Policy.
My research examines how governments and communities build the capacity to implement public policy effectively. I focus on urban, social, and technology policy in the United States—studying how public institutions reduce administrative burdens in safety net programs and how civic infrastructure supports democratic governance.
I use computational and multi-method approaches, including in-depth interviews, archival research, field experiments, surveys, big data analysis, machine learning, and generative AI. I often collaborate with government and nonprofit partners to produce research that directly informs policy and improves practice.
Previously, I worked as a Senior Data Scientist at Code for America, where I collaborated with the U.S. government to improve access to safety net programs. I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from UC Berkeley.
I am also a co-founder of the Data for Good Roundtables, a safe and brave space where academics and practitioners come together to discuss using data for good.
My research has been published in Nature Human Behaviour, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Nature Scientific Data, Perspectives on Politics [2x], Political Research Quarterly [2x], Journal of Experimental Political Science, and Studies in American Political Development, among others.
I am the recipient of the Emerging Scholar Award in Civic Engagement (2024) and the Best Dissertation Award in Urban and Local Politics (2022) from the American Political Science Association, as well as the Best Paper Award in Asian Pacific American Politics (2020) from the Western Political Science Association.
📧 Get in Touch / Collaborate
📬 You can reach me at jkim638@jhu.edu or jaeyeonkim@hks.harvard.edu.
📍 I’m relocating from the Bay Area to the Research Triangle later this year and would love to connect with policy-minded social scientists, data scientists, and civic or public interest tech professionals.
🤝 Interested in collaborating or chatting? Use this form.
📄 My most recent CV is available at this link.
📅 2025 News
| Sep 11–14 |
Panel |
American Political Science Association (APSA) (scheduling) |
Vancouver, Canada |
| June 27–28 |
Talk |
Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (scheduling) |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 26 |
Panel |
Seoul National University (scheduling), hosted by Seo-young Silvia Kim |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 26 |
Panel |
Public Management Research Conference (PMRC) (scheduled) |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 25 |
Panel |
Korea-Finland Innovation Forum (scheduling), hosted by Yonsei University and the Embassy of Finland, Seoul |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 20 |
Workshop |
Dept. of Political Science & IR, Korea University (scheduling), hosted by Woo Chang Kang |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 19 |
Talk |
KIXLAB, KAIST (scheduled), hosted by Juho Kim |
Daejeon, South Korea |
| June 17 |
Talk |
Entangled with Books (independent bookstore) (scheduled) |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 13 |
Talk |
Dept. of Political Science & IR, Yonsei University (scheduled), hosted by Inbok Rhee |
Seoul, South Korea |
| June 10 |
Talk |
Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University (scheduled), hosted by Sunkyoung Park |
Seoul, South Korea |
| May 29–30 |
Panel |
Code for America Summit (scheduled) |
Washington, DC, USA |
| May 28 |
Participant |
What’s next for CX in Government?, hosted by Georgetown University’s Better Government Lab |
Washington, DC, USA |
| May 23 |
Participant |
Conference on Experimentation, hosted by Stanford Causal Science Center |
Palo Alto, CA, USA |
| May 22 |
Guest Lecture |
Brown University Watson Institute’s GPD Module, hosted by Donghyun Danny Choi |
Virtual |
| May 20 |
Podcast |
Civic Café (scheduled), hosted by APSA’s Civic Engagement Section |
Virtual |
| May 15–16 |
Participant |
Organizing Forum, hosted by USC Equity Research Institute |
Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| May 6 |
Publication |
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations |
Accepted |
| April 10 |
Moderator |
Data for Good Roundtables feat. Don Moynihan, Ray Block Jr., Chris Bail, Ilana Ventura |
Virtual |
| April 7 |
Guest Lecture |
Johns Hopkins University’s NLP for CSS, hosted by Anjalie Field |
Virtual |
| April 1 |
Publication |
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management |
Online First |
| March 18 |
Moderator |
Fireside chat with Marshall Ganz, hosted by Korean Association of Political Parties |
Virtual |
| March 17 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Political Science |
Online First |
| Feb 26 |
Talk |
American Politics Workshop, Northwestern University |
Evanston, IL, USA |
This section is for those curious about my non-linear career path—it offers a simple timeline of what I’ve done since finishing my PhD.
📘 Post-PhD Career Timeline
🎓 Academic Roles
- 2026– Assistant Professor, Public Policy, UNC–Chapel Hill
- 2024– Fellow, Better Government Lab, Georgetown & Michigan
- 2024–25 Assistant Research Scientist, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins
- 2024– Research Fellow, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School
- 2022 Assistant Professor of Data Science, KDI School (South Korea)
- 2020–21 Pre/Postdoc Fellow, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins
- 2021 Ph.D., Political Science, UC Berkeley
🧑💻 Civic Tech Roles
- 2024– Fellow, Better Government Lab, Georgetown & Michigan
- 2024–25 Contracting Data Scientist, Code for America
- 2023–24 Senior Data Scientist, Code for America
🗳️ Leadership & Advisory Roles
- 2025– Co-Founder, Data for Good Roundtables
- 2023– Advisory Board Member, Summer Institute in Computational Social Science
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