Edwin Alvarado-Mena
Hi there! I am a Computational Social Scientist with a keen interest in public policy.
Presently, I am pursuing a PhD in Government and Public Policy, a Master’s in Data Science, and a Graduate Certificate in Computational Social Science at The University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. I passed—by unanimous decision—my doctoral comprehensive exams in Public Policy & Management (major) and Quantitative Methods (minor).
Environmental policy is the focus of my research. I study biological infestations in the US, the institutional arrangements that humans create to address their detrimental effects, and the challenge of policy-oriented learning in invasive species management.
In the methods realm, I specialize in applied Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Ontology Engineering. I work on implementing AI-assisted approaches to generate networked data, specifically knowledge graphs, from unstructured text.
I have developed fluency in R and Python, and working knowledge of database management (MySQL, MongoDB), GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS), version control (Git, GitHub), web and app development (Shiny, CSS, SCSS), and document preparation (\(\LaTeX\)).
I could describe myself as a voracious reader of statistics textbooks. Causal inference and Bayesian analysis are the most dominant themes in my reading time. Lately, I have been taking a deep dive into the properties and applications of Large Language Models (LLMs). Soccer analytics has become a growing professional interest of mine—Dear MLS scouts, hit me up with your internships! Besides statistics, I avidly read about environmental science, organizational theory, management studies, and social network analysis.
Data literacy and programming education are among my top areas of intellectual pursuit at The University of Arizona. I am enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Computational Social Science, an academic program founded by the prominent American sociologist Joseph Galaskiewicz. I served as a Data Science Ambassador during the 2023 academic year. In 2024, I participated as a fellow in the Roots for Resilience program, which trained me to teach Open Science principles. I am a certified Carpentries Instructor and co-authored an open-access eBook on R programming (to be released soon).
Please don’t forget to check out my blog, where I hope to share more insights on data literacy! Additionally, I am working on this project tailored for first-year PhD students.
Prior to beginning my doctoral studies in August 2021, I served as a policy advisor for the Government of the Republic of Costa Rica from 2016 to 2021. Also, I taught public policy and methodology courses at the University of Costa Rica and the Central American Institute of Public Administration. I hold a Master’s degree in Public Policy Research from the Latin American Faculty of Social Science (Quito, Ecuador), as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica.
I was born on August 14, 1991, in San Jose, Costa Rica (Barrio Cristo Rey-born, Tibás-bred). On the personal side of things, I have a strong passion for boxing, both professional and amateur, and my musical taste is strictly limited to Latin American genres. Having lived in South America and the US, I envision that my next adventure should take me to Europe… But you never know what the future holds! I am a die-hard fan of Deportivo Saprissa, the greatest soccer club in Costa Rica, the only one that has earned its place in the FIFA Club World Cup (through actual merit; no sports litigation was needed).
Last but not least, I am proud to be an occasional op-ed columnist for Divergentes, a stronghold of independent journalism in Central America.
Education
PhD in Government and Public Policy (expected: 2026)
School of Government and Public Policy
The University of Arizona
Master’s in Data Science (expected: 2026)
College of Information Science
The University of Arizona
Graduate Certificate in Computational Social Science (expected: 2025)
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
The University of Arizona
Job market
Having reached PhD candidacy status, I am now open to considering academic and non-academic positions. Also, I will soon be available to offer a variety of consulting services in data analysis and programming education.
Please get in touch via the contact form here.
Short bio
Are you wondering how to introduce me in the context of a talk, conference, or event? Please use the following short bio:
Edwin Alvarado-Mena. Computational Social Scientist with a keen interest in public policy. PhD Candidate in Government and Public Policy at The University of Arizona, USA, where he is also pursuing a Master’s in Data Science. His research agenda lies at the intersection of computational social science and policy studies, particularly in the areas of environmental policy, applied Natural Language Processing (NLP), and AI-assisted methods for data generation.
In Spanish:
Edwin Alvarado-Mena. Científico Social Computational con un marcado interés en políticas pública. Candidato a Doctor en Gobierno y Políticas Públicas por la Universidad de Arizona, EEUU, donde también cursa la Maestría en Ciencia de Datos. Su agenda de investigación se ubica en la intersección entre las ciencias sociales computationales y el análisis de políticas públicas, especialmente en las áreas de políticas ambientales, aplicaciones de Procesamiento de Lenguaje Natural (NLP) y métodos de Inteligencia Artificial para la generación de datos.
