Home>Uma Kalkar, Class of 2022
13.12.2022
Uma Kalkar, Class of 2022
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?
After learning about ‘wicked problems’ during my freshman year, I knew I wanted to help create impactful, ‘for good,’ policies. I obtained an Honors Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, majoring in Peace, Conflict & Justice Studies and double minoring in Biology and Mathematics.
While at U of T, I received a Research Assistantship at the Department of Computer Science with Emeritus Professor Ronald Baecker to support his book, Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2019). Through this research, I came to understand the importance of building ethical and responsible technology tools and the urgent need to study the impact of digital tools across multiple sectors.
In 2019, I was one of three Munk School students selected to represent U of T as Presidential Fellows at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington, DC. Through this year-long fellowship, I conducted quantitative research on the correlation between internet access and American partisanship across urban and rural congressional districts. This research, “Digital Fault Lines: An Examination of Internet Inequality in the United States” received the David M. Abshire Award and was published in the Fellows Review.
During my undergraduate program, Sciences Po and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy launched a dual-degree Master program. Having spent 12 years honing my French proficiency while growing up between the U.S. and Canada, I was drawn to the unique opportunity to study at two world-class schools and gain a transatlantic perspective on policy practices and social development research.
While at Sciences Po, I stumbled across The GovLab’s work on collective intelligence and open government during the course ‘Updating Democracy // Rebooting the State’ taught by Mauricio Mejía. I started following their work and connected with current GovLabbers to learn more about their research. I joined The GovLab’s Data Research Program as a Graduate Research Intern in January 2020, and in June 2022, I transitioned to a full-time Researcher position on the team. In addition to my work at The GovLab, I am the Strategy and Innovation Director of 18by Vote, the only U.S. nonprofit that focuses exclusively on increasing civic opportunity among ‘rising’ voters (young people aged 15 to 19 years old).
WHAT WERE THE MAIN STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH?
The main stages that led me to my work at The GovLab today can be attributed to three practices: exploring research and professional development outside of my classes; working on group projects; and using these techniques to build the confidence and know-how to launch ambitious ventures.
In school, I explored different types of research methods, from literature analysis to data mining, across the history, ecology, computer science, and economics fields. Outside of school, I worked in the corporate sector at a Toronto-based mathematics and technology firm. In Paris, I tried my hand working for an international organization as a Strategic Transformation Intern at UNESCO’s Office of the Director-General, Strategic Transformation Unit. These opportunities helped me to become the generalist I am today, taking a well-rounded approach to public policy problems. Moreover, I received mentorship from professors and practitioners, built my professional relationships, and grew my work experience.
During both Masters, group projects helped me develop my leadership and team-working skills to hone individual strengths for maximum collaborative impact. For a project for Barbara Ubaldi’s course ‘Digital & Innovative Government’ at Sciences Po, my team applied Open Government processes to devise a strategy for frictionless COVID-19 aid distribution in Paris. For the capstone project of the graduate program, which was carried out at the Munk School, I helped perform topic analysis to build policy recommendations for an investment firm in Toronto looking to engage with emerging demographics of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Building on these skills helped me meaningfully lead 18by Vote with two of my friends, Jazmin Kay (Deloitte) and Ava Mateo (18by Vote). I used my mixed-methods research and policy background to design youth-led civic engagement initiatives. For instance, I repurposed the multiple regression analysis I used for my CSPC fellowship and graduate thesis to harness data on local demographics and voting rates to target hyper-localized communities that are classified as ‘civic deserts,’ or areas lacking civic engagement opportunity, to build sustained civic action by local young people.
Since 2020, 18by Vote has hosted two classes of Civic Engagement Fellows that featured 50 young people across 20 congressional districts to build local communities of civic empowerment among young voters. In 2022, 18by Vote launched a Civic Hub program that builds long-term civic opportunity across six battleground states facing multiple civic deserts. Our work has been featured on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, CIRCLE, and others. We have successfully reached over 1.6 million people to foster a culture of civic and voting action.
Coming to The GovLab with a generalist and entrepreneurial background allowed me to gain perspective on how governance processes operate across the public, private, and civil society sectors and learn how to form purposeful partnerships with donors, data holders, and community stakeholders to create effective and lasting social change.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR POSITION AT THE GOVLAB?
The Govlab is an action-research center, meaning we reflect on current data governance practices and look for ways to prototype new governance and/or data methods to advance social good. As a GovLabber, I work with a variety of stakeholders in the private sector, international organizations, and government levels across several domains, including food systems sustainability, urban mobility, peace tech, gender, and migration. The interdisciplinary nature of the work requires understanding existing governance strategies from a multi-stakeholder perspective and implementing practical processes to develop minimum viable products that further good governance practices. Two of the many great parts of my job are that no two weeks are alike and that I get to work with many different organizations and geographies!
Some of my projects include scoping the field of local governance approaches to AI (AI Localism), running studio sessions with high-level experts to see how to operationalize new governance concepts (Digital Self Determination for Migrants via the Big Data for Migration Alliance), and topic mapping emerging fields where data and data governance are playing important roles (PeaceTech Topic Map as part of the Global PeaceTech Hub).
WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR STUDIES AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PARTICULARLY THE DIGITAL, NEW TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY STREAM, HAVE ON THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?
My time in the dual-degree program, especially while studying at Sciences Po, had an enormous effect on obtaining my position at The GovLab.
The School of Public Affairs allowed me to explore the ‘tech for good’ space from a regulatory, policy and strategy, and sociological lens. The foundational courses, such as ‘Analytical Approaches to Public Policy’ taught by Colin Hay, and ‘Quantitative Analysis and Empirical Methods’ with Jan Rovny gave me a comprehensive overview of what public policy is and how to measure social and policy impact in a quantitative manner.
Specifically with regard to the Digital, New Technology and Public Policy stream, I appreciated that many of my lecturers were also practitioners at the OECD and European Commission, and how they gave insight into how digital policies are actually created and understood at a European and international level. Outside of classes, I had the opportunity to attend office hours and get advice from these professionals about the digital policy field.
Further, I am grateful for how much I learned from my classmates. As part of the Sciences Po Cybersecurity Association, I worked with my peers to host cybersecurity events and draft blogs and articles on the current state of cyber policy, which helped me gain a collaborative, student-led understanding of class concepts. I am proud to say that the network of inspiring young professionals I developed at Sciences Po continues to stay tight-knit long after the Master's program has come to a close.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO GIVE CURRENT STUDENTS OR A FUTURE YOUNG GRADUATE?
>Be ambitious. The Master’s program is an opportunity to explore new fields and take risks. Your colleagues and professors are there to support your aspirations and endeavors. Take culture classes, join interesting clubs, and let yourself grow! For instance, developing side projects or expanding on your academic work (i.e. submitting class essays to journals) is a great way to build your academic repertoire and confidence.
Reach out to your program and career services. I am extremely grateful for the support I received from my program coordinator, Léa Douhard, to connect with policy experts to run special lectures and events, as well as the for the Sciences Po Carrières staff and their weekly newsletters on new opportunities.
Network, network, network. One of the most important takeaways from my time at Sciences Po has been the diverse community of experts, professors, and friends I had the pleasure of meeting. These are the people in your industry who will help you break the ice when seeking new opportunities. Stay in touch with your former lecturers and reach out to other Sciences Po graduates to build your community of professionals to lean on as you advance in your career.
