About Me

I am a third year Ph.D. student in comparative politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Originally from Massachusetts, I spent most of my life prior to coming to Madison in New England. I received a BA in Government and a BA in Astrophysics from Colby College in Waterville, Maine in 2020. In addition to a social science background, having experience with the physical sciences has exposed me to quantitative training and has helped build a strong background in mathematics.

I studied physics and astronomy while undergrad. Here is a picture of the moon I took through the eyepiece of a tripod telescope.

Outside of political science, I enjoy reading fiction, playing ultimate frisbee (pictured), running, and spending time with family and friends. I am happy to talk about any of these as well as political science!

Feel free to contact me at ethan.vanderwilden@wisc.edu or on twitter (@e_vanderwilden) for whatever reason.