Jessica Gallardo

Jessica Gallardo is a PhD student in Government at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on International Relations and Quantitative Research Methodology. Research-wise, she is particularly interested in exploring impactful questions at the intersection of international political economy and security studies, with a focus on economic statecraft in emerging markets and the Global South. Furthermore, Jessica is a recipient of the McNair Graduate Fellowship awarded by the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School and a Graduate Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security.

A distinguished McNair Scholar from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, Jessica holds a BBA in International Business and Marketing, a BA in Global Languages and Cultural Studies (concentrations in German & Spanish), along with a Data Analysis Certificate. She has also gained foundational methodological training and experience in statistical analysis, applied machine learning, data visualization, and large-scale data wrangling using R, Python, and Tableau. She has held research and professional internship positions, notably with the MIT Political Science Department’s Global Diversity Lab, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Trade & Business Development Office, the Texas Camino Real District Export Council, and the International Training Department of Kaldewei in Germany. 

Her academic achievements have been recognized through selection for competitive fellowships and distinctions, including the Fulbright Austria ETA, the Critical Language Scholarship for Portuguese in Brazil, and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Vocational Program. She has also placed internationally in Collegiate DECA business competitions in events such as Emerging Technology Marketing Strategies and Professional Sales.