Hello and welcome,

I am currently a research associate at the Center for News, Technology & Innovation.

I am a recent PhD graduate from the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University where I also remain an adjunct lecturer. My dissertation measured risk aversion of elected officials in the U.S. Congress using speeches (text) from the Congressional Record. My committee was chaired by Professor Ryan Vander Wielen and included Professor Michael Peress and Professor Stanley Feldman.

The first chapter of my dissertation presented a methods-based approach for measuring traits of legislators using text/speech data. My second and third chapters examined how risk aversion influences the progressive ambition of House members and their legislative styles, respectively.

Outside of school, I enjoy biking, camping, and GT3/4 racing.

Thank you for visiting my personal website! You may find my current CV at the top of the page. You may reach me via email at samuel [dot] jens [@] stonybrook [dot] edu.