Lucas Paulo da Silva

Lucas Paulo da Silva is a PhD researcher in the Department of Political Science at Trinity College Dublin. His primary research interests include media, political behaviour, public opinion, polarisation and political economy. Lucas uses computational research methods – like natural language processing, machine learning, and large language models – to measure and analyse online media. He also performs statistical tests of the effects of media on politics using experimental, quasi-experimental, survey and longitudinal data.

Lucas has published a study about the effects of a newspaper boycott in the journal Political Behavior. He also published a natural experiment about how parties influence public opinion in the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties. In addition, he is currently conducting research on the following: using large language models to measure online ideology, the ideological structure of online media outlets, how people select political media, how media influences "cross-pressured voters," and how voters respond to technocratic cabinet ministers.

Before his PhD, Lucas studied data science and international politics at the postgraduate level at Trinity College Dublin. His undergraduate background combined digital media, history and business/economics. He has also worked for five years as a regional director for a media organisation and for another five years as a data science consultant.