Data & Political Scientist · München
João Lucas Hilgert
I work at the intersection of technology and society — building tools that help us measure, understand, and improve how democracy works. Machine learning, data visualization, and democracy research.
About
At the intersection of technology & society.
As a data and political scientist, specialized in democracy research, data visualization and machine learning, the intersection between technology and society was always a personal focal point — hence I have focused much of my professional, academic, and (occasionally) recreational work on how technology can help us understand and improve our world. The products of such effort are a plethora of projects, ranging from dashboards tracking the development of COVID-19 in Germany as well as globally, to automated aggregation procedures used to assess democracy levels across time and space.
Having graduated with distinction in Politics and Technology (M.Sc.) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) with the thesis “A Machine Learning Approach to Measuring Democracy”, and having lectured “Computational Methods” at the Master's level for two semesters — involving comprehensive knowledge of data science, statistics and the programming language R — I have expertise in R generally, R Markdown, R Shiny, Quarto, database management, machine learning, and data visualization (including with Tableau). This academic experience also encompasses Python, Java, and app development in Flutter/Dart.
Currently, I serve as board member and Chief Technology Officer of the Munich European Forum e.V., a Munich-based association dedicated to educating students and young professionals on the inner workings of international organizations. Throughout my tenure on the board, there has been a collective effort to sustain a successful partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In that period the association organized 5 in-person, international, week-long events in Brussels, plus 2 online month-long international events during the pandemic — and was awarded the 2019 Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach by the European Commission. My responsibilities included managing the association's databases, contributing to the website, supporting external communication, and handling accounting. Previously, as treasurer, the association maintained non-profit status for 2019–2021. I also developed a proprietary payment-processing / revenue-tracking app for the association's events.
Born and raised in São Paulo (Brazil), I have lived in Munich (Germany) since 2012. Personal accomplishments include completing 7 half-marathons and 1 triathlon, along with actively engaging in regular blood donations. I am fluent in Portuguese, English, and German — all used in professional settings — and am currently working towards proficiency in French.
This website was not developed by any third party or service provider.
Als Daten- und Politikwissenschaftler, spezialisiert auf Demokratieforschung, Datenvisualisierung und maschinelles Lernen, war die Schnittstelle zwischen Technologie und Gesellschaft immer ein persönlicher Schwerpunkt — daher habe ich einen Großteil meiner beruflichen, akademischen und (gelegentlich) freizeitlichen Arbeit darauf konzentriert, wie Technologie uns helfen kann, unsere Welt zu verstehen und zu verbessern. Die Produkte dieser Bemühungen reichen von Dashboards, die die Entwicklung von COVID-19 in Deutschland und weltweit verfolgen, bis hin zu automatisierten Aggregationsverfahren zur Bewertung des Demokratieniveaus über Zeit und Raum.
Nachdem ich mein Studium in Politics and Technology (M.Sc.) an der Technischen Universität München (TUM) mit der Abschlussarbeit „A Machine Learning Approach to Measuring Democracy“ mit Auszeichnung abgeschlossen und zwei Semester lang „Computational Methods“ auf Masterniveau unterrichtet habe, verfüge ich über Expertise in R allgemein, R Markdown, R Shiny, Quarto, Datenbankmanagement, Machine Learning und Datenvisualisierung (u. a. mit Tableau). Darüber hinaus umfasst diese akademische Erfahrung Python, Java sowie App-Entwicklung in Flutter/Dart.
Derzeit bin ich Vorstandsmitglied und Chief Technology Officer des Munich European Forum e.V., eines in München ansässigen Vereins, der Studierende und junge Berufstätige über die Funktionsweise internationaler Organisationen informiert. Während meiner Amtszeit im Vorstand haben wir gemeinsam eine erfolgreiche Partnerschaft mit der North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) gepflegt. In diesem Zeitraum organisierte der Verein fünf einwöchige internationale Veranstaltungen in Brüssel sowie zwei einmonatige internationale Online-Veranstaltungen während der Pandemie und wurde von der Europäischen Kommission mit dem Altiero-Spinelli-Preis für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit 2019 ausgezeichnet. Zuvor sorgte ich als Schatzmeister dafür, dass der Verein den Status der Gemeinnützigkeit für 2019–2021 behielt, und entwickelte eine eigene App zur Zahlungsabwicklung und Umsatzverfolgung für die Veranstaltungen des Vereins.
Geboren und aufgewachsen in São Paulo (Brasilien), lebe ich seit 2012 in München. In der Zwischenzeit habe ich unter anderem 7 Halbmarathons und 1 Triathlon absolviert und beteilige mich aktiv an regelmäßigen Blutspenden. Ich spreche fließend Portugiesisch, Englisch und Deutsch — alle im beruflichen Umfeld eingesetzt — und erwerbe derzeit Französischkenntnisse.
Diese Website wurde nicht von Dritten oder Dienstleistern entwickelt.
Como cientista político e de dados, especializado em pesquisa sobre democracia, visualização de dados e Machine Learning, a interseção entre tecnologia e sociedade sempre foi um ponto focal pessoal — por isso concentrei grande parte do meu trabalho profissional, acadêmico e (ocasionalmente) recreativo em como a tecnologia pode nos ajudar a entender e melhorar o mundo. Os produtos desse esforço vão de dashboards que acompanham o desenvolvimento da COVID-19 na Alemanha e no mundo, até procedimentos de agregação automatizados para avaliar os níveis de democracia ao longo do tempo e do espaço.
Tendo me formado com distinção em Política e Tecnologia (M.Sc.) na Universidade Técnica de Munique (TUM) com a tese “A Machine Learning Approach to Measuring Democracy”, e tendo lecionado “Computational Methods” em nível de mestrado por dois semestres, tenho experiência em R em geral, R Markdown, R Shiny, Quarto, gerenciamento de banco de dados, aprendizado de máquina e visualização de dados (inclusive com o Tableau). Minha experiência acadêmica abrange ainda Python, Java e desenvolvimento de aplicativos em Flutter/Dart.
Atualmente, sou membro da diretoria e Chief Technology Officer do Munich European Forum e.V., uma associação sediada em Munique dedicada a educar estudantes e jovens profissionais sobre o funcionamento das organizações internacionais. Durante meu mandato na diretoria, mantivemos uma parceria bem-sucedida com a Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte (OTAN). Nesse período, a associação organizou cinco eventos internacionais presenciais de uma semana em Bruxelas, além de dois eventos internacionais on-line de um mês durante a pandemia, e recebeu o Prêmio Altiero Spinelli de Outreach 2019 da Comissão Europeia. Anteriormente, como tesoureiro, mantive o status de organização sem fins lucrativos para 2019–2021 e desenvolvi um aplicativo próprio de processamento de pagamentos e rastreamento de receitas para os eventos da associação.
Nascido e criado em São Paulo (Brasil), resido em Munique (Alemanha) desde 2012. Nesse período, realizei 7 meias-maratonas e 1 triatlo, além de participar ativamente de doações regulares de sangue. Sou fluente em português, inglês e alemão — todos usados em ambientes profissionais — e atualmente busco proficiência em francês.
Este site não foi desenvolvido por nenhum terceiro ou provedor de serviços.
Selected work
Where measurement meets the world.
A Machine Learning Approach to Measuring Democracy
Graded with distinction at TUM — measuring democracy across time and space with supervised learning.
Read the thesisCOVID-19 & Election Trackers
Interactive dashboards tracking COVID-19 worldwide and in Germany, and the US 2020 electoral college.
Browse projectsHilgert Apps
A small collection of apps I build and ship — from a multi-modal AI client to private family apps.
Open the app hub