A Storyteller: PhD Candidate in Political Science | Master of Science Candidate in Data Science

Ali Amini is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the School of Public Affairs and an M.S. candidate in Data Science in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at American University in Washington, D.C. His primary fields are political behavior and methodology. As a social scientist with a background in mathematics, he applies cutting-edge AI and computational methods, from classical machine learning to frontier AI, to address questions in political science and related interdisciplinary research.

Working with and coauthoring with Prof. David Barker—his mentor and former Director of the Social and Economic Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation—has shaped his commitment to good science and deepened his appreciation for the nuances of political psychology. He has served as a data editor and member of the editorial team at Political Analysis, where he worked under the supervision and mentorship of Prof. Jeff Gill. Collaborating with him on projects in AI, survey methodology, and Bayesian inference has strongly shaped his appreciation for political methodology.

His dissertation, Three Essays on Artificial Intelligence and Political Behavior, advances new theories in political behavior and introduces frontier AI to empirically test them. Ali's dissertation committee is evenly represented by famous political behaviorist and methodologist. Professor David Barker (Chair) and Professor Jan Leighley, current NSF program directors, represent the political behavior side, while Professors Jeff Gill and Ryan Moore bring methodological expertise. His work on applying computer science paradigms to survey research earned him the Burns “Bud” Roper Fellow Award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) in 2025.