Research Scientist

Matthew Nelson, PhD

I design rigorous research and translate complex data into clear, decision-ready insight — driving strategy and powering the marketing built on it. Reputation marketing and political science.

Experience

Work

Research spanning reputation marketing and political science — methodologically rigorous, built to drive both strategy and the campaigns that follow.

Amazon

Survey Research Scientist

June 2025 – Present

Quantitative research for Amazon's Reputation Marketing & Insights team — the group that both drives reputation strategy and runs the marketing behind it. I measure brand perception, executive favorability, and competitive standing globally, and turn those measurements into campaigns.

  • Design large-scale survey programs tracking reputational outcomes over time
  • Shape reputation marketing campaigns — research defines the audiences, messages, and markets, then measures what the marketing moved
  • Build automated data pipelines and reporting — crosstabs, visualization decks, and briefs for senior communications and marketing leaders
  • Model perception drivers with logistic regression, Shapley-value attribution, and specification-curve robustness
  • Turn analysis into localized, country-level strategy and marketing guidance tailored to each market
  • Bring vendor analytics in-house and manage cross-vendor calibration — cutting cost while protecting data integrity

Purple Strategies

Research Manager & Quantitative Specialist

2023 – 2025

Delivered quantitative research, strategic counsel, and campaign guidance for Fortune 50 companies navigating reputation risk, competitive pressure, and crisis communications.

  • Designed survey instruments and statistical models informing high-stakes brand, marketing, and communications decisions
  • Message-tested campaign creative and narratives — research that shaped what clients actually ran, not just what they planned
  • Produced research briefs and executive presentations translating data into clear strategic direction
  • Led internal training on research methodology and applied AI tools

USC / Schwarzenegger Institute

Doctoral Researcher

2018 – 2022

Research on electoral institutions, redistricting, and voting rights — published in peer-reviewed journals and cited before the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • Published in PS: Political Science & Politics; cited in Supreme Court amicus brief, Moore v. Harper
  • Applied regression analysis, ecological inference, and racially polarized voting methods to redistricting cases
  • Research covered by the Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, and CalMatters

Publications

Research

Peer-reviewed work and applied policy research at the intersection of electoral institutions, voting rights, and quantitative methodology.

Curriculum Vitae

CV

Full CV covering research experience, publications, and methods. Available as a one-page PDF.

Download CV