Nicola Nones

I’m a data-driven researcher focused on how information and narratives shape real-world decisions in markets and policy. I build scalable text analytics pipelines and causal inference workflows to turn messy, unstructured sources into clear signals for risk, strategy, and decision-making.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Munk School (University of Toronto): Lead researcher on projects at the intersection of political/economic risk, finance, and security. Build scalable, transparent analytics from large cross-national datasets and unstructured text using NLP and causal inference; communicate findings to mixed technical/non-technical audiences.

Teaching & training (UofT and UVA): Designed and delivered graduate- and undergraduate-level courses and labs in quantitative methods, research design, and applied data analysis (R/Stata), with an emphasis on reproducible workflows and clear, decision-ready interpretation.

Team leadership & project management: Managed teams of undergraduate and graduate assistants across multi-stage research workflows (data collection, coding, QA, documentation), setting standards and timelines and ensuring consistent outputs.

Applied industry experience (Interos): Led a five-person team developing text-based risk assessment measures for an AI-driven risk management company, translating messy real-world data into usable indicators and summaries.

Editorial/quality assurance (American Journal of Political Science): Worked within a top-journal editorial office, gaining strong instincts for research quality, clarity, and evidence standards—skills that translate well to high-stakes analytical work.

PhD, Politics — University of Virginia (2023): Advanced training in quantitative research design, causal inference, and computational social science, with a focus on international political economy and international relations.

MSc, International Political Economy — London School of Economics: Rigorous economics/political economy training with emphasis on currency politics.

MA, International Relations — University of Bologna: Broad international relations training grounding work in security, institutions, and global governance.

BA, International Studies — University of Bologna: Interdisciplinary foundation across politics, economics, and international affairs.