I am a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate in the University of Chicago’s Program in Political Economy where I am affiliated with the Chicago Center on Democracy. My interests are primarily focused around US legislative and executive politics. I am a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) fellow and will be the 2025-2026 Elise Bean Oversight Fellow with the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy. Since 2023, I have served as the coordinator of the American Politics Workshop at UChicago.
I have previously received research funding from the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity (Chicago Law), the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, the Center for Effective Government (Chicago Harris), and the University of Chicago’s Social Science Division. I have also received travel funding from the American Political Science Association and the APSA Political Organizations and Parties Section. I was previously a part of the University of Chicago Social Science Division’s First Year Scholars Program.
I enjoy helping students from all backgrounds explore political science and social science graduate school. As a part of that, I volunteer as a mentor for graduate school applicants and started the student-run Political Science and Political Economy Application Mentorship Program at the University of Chicago. It is complete for this year, but will reopen in Summer 2025. I am also part of the UChicago’s Digital Accessibility Advocates program which seeks to make university websites, teaching materials, and other materials accessible to all individuals.
Prior to coming to the University of Chicago, I worked as a healthcare data scientist, consultant, and non-profit leader. I completed my undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, where I received a B.A. in Political Science and Economics, summa cum laude. At Notre Dame, I studied under Jeff Harden and worked at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities with William Evans and Ethan Lieber. I also was part of the Kellogg International Scholars Program.
You can reach me at kevinjangell@uchicago.edu. Please reach out with any questions, feedback, or thoughts on potential collaborations. I am always happy to talk about research, research opportunities, my program or political science in general!
Undergrads and industry folks, this includes you! If you are a prospective applicant to the Political Economy or Political Science programs here at UChicago, I’m happy to chat to share my experience. I can also discuss the differences between Political Economy, Political Science, and Economics if you are working to see where your interests fall. Please reach out via email to set up a Zoom or in-person (if in Chicago) meeting. To facilitate setting up a time, it is helpful if you please provide some times during the next several weeks that you are free in your initial email.