Mohammad Aghdam – AI & Data Scientist | Political Scientist (PhD) - Exploring AI-Driven Insights in Politics, Economics & Global Affairs

Exploring AI-Driven Insights in Politics, Economics & Global Affairs

Hi, I’m Mohammad Aghdam — an AI & Data Scientist with a PhD in Political Science. My mission is to harness advanced data science to reveal global patterns, forecast conflict dynamics, and power smarter, evidence-based decisions.

About Me

I am a political scientist and data scientist with a PhD in Political Science from the University of Geneva. My dissertation, “Disintegrationist Ideologies: Ethnic Mobilization and Violence,” involved extensive data analysis and statistical modeling to explore relationships between ethnic power dynamics and political violence. As part of ETH Zurich’s Ethnic Power Relations project, I developed and analyzed large-scale datasets, using tools like Python and R for predictive modeling and data visualization, which provided essential insights for academia and policy-making.

I also contributed to the Civilian Victimization in Conflict Zones project, sponsored by ETH Zurich, where I designed data collection processes and produced in-depth reports for stakeholders. My increasing interest in how data reveals patterns and informs strategic decisions naturally led me to deepen my skills in quantitative analysis and data science.

In addition to my research, I developed comprehensive data science and statistics courses at Zürich City Business School, preparing students with skills in Python, machine learning, and data visualization. My technical proficiency includes Python, R, SQL, and various machine learning libraries, allowing me to manage complex data integration and modeling projects, including algorithmic trading applications.

My interests bridge political science and data science, focusing on international relations, economic development, and AI applications in understanding complex global issues. I am driven by the transformative power and innovative solutions data science offers for both academic research and practical applications. I continuously expand my skills to stay at the forefront of technological advancements and am always eager to collaborate and share knowledge with fellow researchers and data science professionals. Feel free to connect with me to explore ideas together.

Qualifications

Education

PhD in Political Science
University of Geneva, Switzerland (2020)

Dissertation: Disintegrationist Ideologies: Ethnic Mobilization and Violence
Specialization: Quantitative Conflict Research, Statistical Modeling, Applied Data Analysis
Committee:
Prof. Simon Hug (Advisor), University of Geneva
Prof. Marco Giugni (Chair), University of Geneva
Prof. Lars-Erik Cederman, ETH Zurich
Prof. Livia Isabella Schubiger, Duke University

MA in Political Science
University of Bern, Switzerland (2014)

Thesis: Democratization in the MENA-Region: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
Minor: Middle Eastern Studies
Advisors:
Prof. Marc Bühlmann (Major)
Prof. Reinhard Schulze (Minor)

BA in International Studies
Open University, United Kingdom (2011)

Focus: International Politics and Global Affairs

BS in Business Information Technology
University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen, , Switzerland (2003)

Relevant Coursework: Programming Languages, Data Structures, Computer Science, Business Administration, Project Management

Skills

🤖 Advanced AI Models

– Designed and fine-tuned state-of-the-art AI architectures: LLMs, GPTs, and Transformer-based systems
– Experience with transfer learning, model optimization, and domain adaptation
– Applied to policy analysis, forecasting, and sentiment extraction

🧠 Machine Learning & Deep Learning

– Practical experience in supervised/unsupervised ML, NLP, deep learning, and reinforcement learning
– Tools: Python, R, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, scikit-learn
– Built custom neural networks for real-time conflict prediction and market modeling

📊 Data Science & Analytics

– Expertise in statistical modeling, hypothesis testing, and predictive analytics
– Strong in data wrangling, visualization (Seaborn, ggplot2), algorithm design
– Applied in academic research, trading systems, and governance

💻 Programming Languages

– Fluent in: Python, R, SQL, Stata, with experience in Java and C#
– Developed full-stack tools for research dashboards and decision support systems

🗃️ Databases & Query Optimization

– Hands-on with: MySQL, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, SQLite, MS Access
– Designed scalable data storage and optimized multi-query environment

🌐 Big Data & Visualizatio

– Worked with Apache Spark, BigQuery, dbt, and ETL pipelines
– Visualization: Power BI, Tableau, Plotly Dash, Matplotlib

☁️ Cloud & Web Technologies

– Cloud: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Databricks
– Web: Web scraping (Selenium, BeautifulSoup), app dev (Flask, Django)
– Server & deployment: Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed, WordPress

🌍 Languages

– Fluent: English, German, Arabic, Persian
– Intermediate: French
– Basic: Turkish
– Native: Kurdish
Comfortable conducting research and collaboration across regions and languages