Kirill Chmel is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science whose research focuses on the political economy of media, nation-building, and the evolution of cultural identity in both contemporary and historical contexts.
His recent work examines how and when traditional and new forms of media shape citizens’ political preferences and behavior, as well as the strategic choices of elites and the state. In his dissertation, Mr. Chmel links media exposure to cultural resilience and state responses, demonstrating how evolving media environments empower minorities and influence nation-building dynamics.
Mr. Chmel combines formal modeling with causal inference strategies, using both observational and experimental data to explore testable implications derived from theoretical models. He leverages recent advancements in machine learning and AI to improve experimental design, measurement, and the analysis of large-scale text and media data.
Kirill Chmel received his B.A. in political science and M.A. in applied politics from HSE
University, Moscow. Prior to Columbia University, he worked as a research fellow at the Ronald F. Inglehart Laboratory for Comparative Social Research, as a lecturer at HSE University, and as an independent consultant at United Arab Emirates University.
