Professor Peter McLaughlin, a recent addition to the University of Rhode Island as of this semester, has been using his knowledge from traveling and prior work experience to improve the URI Department of Political Science.
McLauglin is originally from Maryland, however he has lived in Montana, Iowa and now Rhode Island. He also spent his undergraduate years in New Hampshire, where he attended Dartmouth College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government and international studies in 2016. While completing his degree, he had the chance to travel abroad to Argentina and Australia.
“It opened my eyes to the world around me,” McLaughlin said. “I would highly recommend that experience to any students trying to figure out the world around them.”
He took evening classes at Drake University in Iowa and obtained his master’s degree in public administration in 2019 while working full time for Vote Smart as the research director.
Vote Smart, a non-partisan political research site, provides voters with data and facts so that they can investigate politics. McLaughin’s primary job was to research policy and candidates, and then find a way to communicate that information to voters. A majority of his time was spent on the phone with voters and training new interns.
“One of the favorite parts of my job was training new staff interns on how to do that job and how to work with data and do research,” McLaughlin said. “At the same time I was learning that I really love the teaching element of my job.”
After working at Vote Smart, McLaughlin said he realized that his true passion was teaching others. He went back to school and pursued his doctorate in political science at the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated in May.
In addition to training new staff interns, McLaughlin began doing research in an academic setting for the research program at Vote Smart.
“I knew that I loved both of those things, so pursuing a Ph.D. would allow me to expand on the things I was enjoying spending my time doing,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said that he sees himself staying in Rhode Island for many years to come. He has several goals to help students gain a better understanding of all the ways that politics and policy touch on the lives of those in the United States.
He also said that he aims to do more research in this area by exploring congressional representation in elections, looking through electoral reforms, determining a more efficient way to do redistricting and focusing on reforms that let candidates use campaign funds for childcare.
“[I am] essentially trying to figure out how government can work best for people and how people can feel more represented in government,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin’s experience at Vote Smart guided him towards the teaching profession where he is now able to use his knowledge to guide students to success.
“I sort of view what I do as one career,” McLaughlin said. “Really everything that I’ve done since college has been angled towards the goal of fostering the link between people and government.”
After teaching at URI during a job visit, McLaughin was able to picture himself in a new position and made the move to Rhode Island.
“The students were awesome and engaged,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone in the department was really fun. From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I knew it would be a fun place to start my career.”
When not researching ways to improve the relationship between people and government, McLaughlin can be found outdoors, he said. Hiking, camping, rock climbing and anything in the water are just a few of his favorite activities. While his move to Iowa was largely driven by VoteSmart being based there, it was also guided by his aspiration to live in the Rocky Mountains where he could pursue more outdoor activities.
“I have loved getting to know URI,” McLaughlin said. “I am so excited to explore Rhode Island and I’ve loved every second of it so far.”
McLaughlin will be teaching The American Presidency and Topics in Political Science courses during the spring 2025 semester.