Ben Swedberg

About Ben Swedberg

Hey, I\'m Ben. It\'s nice to meet you! I\'m looking for an opportunity to bring my experience, skills, and knowledge to a position in research, public policy, or urban planning. Here’s what I can bring to your team: 1⃣ What I know A lot, about a lot! I spend huge chunks of my free time listening to podcasts on public policy and politics — my idea of fun! I\'ve taken classes on everything from urban policy to the Supreme Court. In my political science capstone project, I explored the influence of billionaire wealth on Michigan\'s charter schools. I\'ve done policy research for campaigns, public officials, businesses, and nonprofits on everything from housing and transportation to energy and education. A highlight of my college experience was a semester in Copenhagen, where I got to think about and experience one of my favorite subjects, urban planning, all day every day. I even worked with the Copenhagen Metro Company, where I helped redesign bicycle infrastructure at a Metro station to improve intermodality. Talk about a hands-on lesson in effective planning! 2⃣ What I can do I\'m a communicator, specializing in public speaking and writing. I helped lead my mock trial team to two consecutive top-10 finishes at the National Championship, and I\'ve had policy analysis circulated by a major government relations firm. I\'m an expert at tailoring my content — often translating technical knowledge for a not-so-technical audience. I\'m skilled in research and data analysis. I\'ve taken research from question to conclusion, gaining experience conducting literature reviews and interviews along the way. I leveraged Python, Pandas and Excel to automate the collection, cleaning, and manipulation of data on more than 30K electoral candidates and, in the process, shortened a weeks-long manual process to just five minutes. I\'m a quick learner. Just check out the recommendations on my profile! I jump at the chance to learn complex software, acquire new skills, and gain more subject matter knowledge — and I\'m known for getting up to speed fast. I\'m great on a team. I led more than 60 interns to execute a winning campaign strategy, prioritizing and distributing field work and policy research. I\'ve had coworkers call me \"positive,\"\"self-aware,\" and \"indispensable.\" Feel free to reach out about job opportunities, or just to chat about public policy, research, or planning: b••••••••@u.northwestern.edu Skills: policy research, policy analysis, government relations, urban planning, data analysis, data management, Python, Excel, written and verbal communication

Experience

1. Senior Research Assistant

   The Brookings Institution

   Jan 2025 — Present · Washington, DC, US

Education

• Northwestern University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Political Science | Minor: Computer Science

• DIS - Study Abroad

  Urban Studies

• Grand Rapids Christian High School

  High School Diploma

  2015 — 2019