Diana Da In Lee

Hi! I'm a PhD candidate in the Political Science Department at Columbia University. In the 2024-2025 academic year, I will be joining Center for the Study of Democratic Politics (CSDP) at Princeton University as a Postdoctoral Research Associate.

My research interests lie in American local politics, identity politics, and methodology. My substantive research focuses on minority representation and (de)racialization in U.S. politics. My methodological research includes improving external validity and applying machine learning methods to solve measurement problems. My work has appeared in journals such as The Journal of Politics, Urban Affairs Review, and Nature: Scientific Data.

My dissertation, supported by an APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, focuses on political ambition and candidate emergence among racial minorities in the U.S., examining the full pipeline to power from the initial interest to officially becoming a candidate. In collaboration with a non-profit organization, I conducted field and survey experiments to explore factors that impact minorities' decision to run for office in a real-world candidate recruitment effort, where I test existing theories and contribute novel insights on minority candidate emergence.

I received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a Master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. I previously worked at an economic consulting firm, conducting econometric analysis for antitrust litigation and class certification.