Sita Reddy, PhD

Princeton’s politics department has this reputation for producing people who go on to run things – governments, international organizations, major policy institutes. That wasn’t necessarily my plan, but being surrounded by that level of ambition definitely shaped how I think about political research. When your classmates are interning at the State Department and your professors are advising actual world leaders, you can’t help but see academic work as connected to real political consequences.

My doctoral research focused on democratic institutions in developing countries, specifically how electoral systems interact with ethnic diversity and economic inequality. It sounds abstract, but when you’re studying why some democracies consolidate while others collapse, you’re really asking fundamental questions about human cooperation, power distribution, and social justice that affect millions of people’s daily lives.

The interdisciplinary nature of political science at Princeton meant I was constantly borrowing methods from economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. That methodological flexibility now helps me guide students who are tackling political questions that don’t fit neatly within traditional subfield boundaries. Politics is inherently interdisciplinary – real political phenomena involve economics, culture, history, and human psychology simultaneously.

Over eight years of academic coaching, I’ve worked with 250+ students across Political Science, International Relations, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, and Political Economy. What keeps the work interesting is the diversity of questions – analyzing voting behavior, studying policy implementation, examining international negotiations, or investigating how social movements influence institutional change.

My technical toolkit includes quantitative methods (regression analysis, experimental design, survey research), qualitative approaches (interviews, ethnography, case studies), formal modeling, and large-N comparative analysis. I’m proficient with Stata, R, and various political science databases. Understanding research ethics for politically sensitive topics is crucial – political research often involves studying conflict, authoritarianism, or marginalized communities.

What distinguishes my coaching is appreciation for the political implications of research design choices. When you study voting patterns, whose voices get included in your data? When you analyze policy effectiveness, how do you account for implementation challenges in different contexts? I help students think through these methodological decisions as both technical and ethical choices.

My approach emphasizes policy relevance without sacrificing analytical rigor. Political science research should inform public debates, policy decisions, and civic engagement. I challenge students to consider how their findings could influence political practice while meeting academic standards for evidence and argumentation.

The challenge many students face is managing the emotional weight of political research. When you’re studying war, inequality, democratic breakdown, or human rights violations, the subject matter can be overwhelming. I provide both methodological guidance and support for processing the psychological impact of researching difficult topics.

Princeton’s global network provides incredible access to policymakers, international organizations, and field research opportunities. That connectivity helps students understand how academic political science relates to practical politics and policy implementation. Theory and practice inform each other in productive ways.

Students often struggle with the scope problem in political analysis – political phenomena operate at multiple levels simultaneously (individual, institutional, national, international). I help them identify appropriate levels of analysis that capture important dynamics without becoming methodologically unmanageable.

My 93% success rate reflects understanding that political research timelines can be unpredictable. Elections get delayed, governments fall, conflicts disrupt fieldwork, policy contexts change faster than research can adapt. I help students build flexibility into their research designs while maintaining analytical focus.

What motivates me most is research that strengthens democratic institutions and practices. Whether students are studying electoral reform, civic education, political participation, or democratic accountability, there’s potential for academic research to support more inclusive and effective democratic governance.

The Princeton environment definitely instilled high standards for intellectual rigor and policy relevance. But I’ve also learned that academic excellence shouldn’t come at the expense of mental health or personal relationships. I help students develop sustainable research practices that produce quality work without burning out.

When I’m not analyzing political data, I’m usually rock climbing at local crags (there’s something satisfying about physical challenges after spending hours thinking abstractly), volunteering with voter registration drives, or cooking elaborate Indian meals while listening to political podcasts. I also mentor first-generation college students – access to higher education is itself a political issue that matters beyond academic settings.