Michael D. Parrott, Ph.D.

Dr. Parrott is the appointed lecturer-in-discipline within the Department of Political Science, and he is the founding director of the Columbia University AI Model Share initiative. He teaches Machine Learning, Data Mining, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Analysis, and Data Visualization with Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS). Prior to joining the QMSS faculty, he was a 2016-2017 American Political Science Association Congressional fellow.

As an APSA fellow, he designed web applications to organize, centralize, and automate data collection and everyday tasks for committee and personal office staff. Before that he was a senior research analyst with a focus on GIS and spatial statistical analysis for the Campaign Finance Institute, a nonpartisan NPO in Washington, DC.

He holds a Ph.D. in political science with a focus on American politics and research methodology from the University of Maryland, an M.A. in political science from Fordham University, and a B.A. in philosophy, psychology, and political science from the University of Texas. His research interests include American governing institutions (especially Congress), interest groups, money and politics, and quantitative methodology. His current research examines how the design of political institutions shapes who wins and who loses in the policymaking process.