Member Profile

Dr. Jonathan Schwabish is founder of the data visualization and presentation skills firm, PolicyViz, and a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. There, he is a researcher in the Income and Benefits Policy Center and a member of the Institute’s Communication team where he specializes in data visualization and presentation design. His research agenda includes such areas as earnings and income inequality, immigration, disability insurance, retirement security, data measurement, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other aspects of public policy. Dr. Schwabish is also considered a leader in the data visualization field and is a leading voice for clarity and accessibility in research. He has written on various aspects of how to best visualize data including technical aspects of creation, design best practices, and how to communicate social science research in more accessible ways. In both positions, Dr. Schwabish helps nonprofits, research institutions, and governments at all levels improve how they communicate their work and findings to their partners, constituents, and citizens. He also teaches data visualization and presentation skills at Georgetown University, American University, the University at Buffalo, and in public workshops. He also hosts the PolicyViz Podcast, which focuses on data, open data, and data visualization. His book about presentation design and techniques, Better Presentations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks helps people improve the way they prepare, design, and deliver data-rich content. In his edited book, Elevated the Debate: A Multilayered Approach to Communicating Your Research, Schwabish and his colleagues help people develop a strategic plan to communicating their work across multiple platforms and channels.