Zachary Lorico Hertz graduated from the University of Chicago in 2022, where he earned a master’s degree with a concentration in quantitative methods and social analysis. He is particularly interested in understanding how race and class identity develop, are expressed through political behavior, and intersect with power in local politics. In his research, he uses causal inference methods and survey data to study the effects an increasingly diverse and partisan electorate will have on representation and sub-national institutions. His writing has been featured in academic and popular outlets, including the Washington Post. He currently works as a political analyst and pollster, and in previous work connected researchers with legislators and journalists to inform local policy at Scholars Strategy Network. Before that, he organized student voter registration efforts at Tufts University, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2019 and studied ethical theory.
The APSA Diversity Fellowship Program (DFP) is a fellowship competition for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds applying to or in the early stages of doctoral programs in political science. The DFP was established in 1969 (originally as the Black Graduate Fellowship) to increase the number of minority scholars in the discipline. This year’s funded fellows will receive $5,000, over two years to support their studies.