“I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students”

“Since joining the faculty of MIT’s Department of Political Science in 2012, F. Daniel Hidalgo, known to many as “Danny,” has built a reputation as both a meticulous quantitative scholar and one of the department’s most generous and steadfast mentors. A member of the 2025–27 Committed to Caring cohort, Hidalgo is recognized for a style of mentorship that combines intellectual intensity with humility, approachability, and a willingness to show up for students. A quantitative political scientist whose research focuses on elections, democratic accountability, and political behavior in Brazil and Latin America, his scholarship uses statistical and experimental methods to study how institutions shape political outcomes. According to his students, the rigor he brings to his research is matched by an equally strong commitment to the people he mentors. Hidalgo’s reputation is illuminated repeatedly in nominations. One student, reflecting on years of mentorship, aptly summed this up by saying, “I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students.” Showing the mess, not just the map Most MIT political science PhD students encounter Hidalgo in their first year, when he teaches the department’s quantitative methods sequence. For many, the course is a turning point — an introduction to causal inference and the logic of experimentation that reshapes how they think about political science itself. While the material is demanding, students describe a classroom that feels captivating, rather than intimidating. Even during the height of Covid-19-era Zoom courses, one student reflected on the ways in which Hidalgo “made the class engaging and interesting,” injecting energy into even the most complex statistical concepts. “It is no surprise that for many of us, the final papers we wrote for this class laid the foundation … for our subsequent research trajectories,” the student added. Hidalgo’s approach to mentorship begins with demystifying research by exposing the process behind final products. If he had to articulate a guiding principle, he says, it would be this: “Show students the mess, not just the map.” Graduate students too often see only the polished journal article, not the abandoned drafts, failed models, or questions that had to be rebuilt from scratch. Hidalgo makes a point of bringing students into that disorganization early, normalizing uncertainty as part of scholarship. That transparency reshapes both how students conceive of research, and how they intentionally practice it. As one student explained, Hidalgo’s mentorship creates “a space where we can share even our messiest ideas,” knowing they will be met with thoughtful feedback rather than judgment. His classroom and office are often described as rare environments where rigor and creativity coexist without fear. A boundless capacity for mentorship It is no secret within the department that Hidalgo advises a large number of students, providing one-on-one mentorship in addition to leading a growing research group. Despite this, students consistently describe weekly meetings where he gives their work his full attention. He reads drafts carefully and responds with detailed, constructive feedback, whether on a fellowship application, a conference paper, or a dissertation chapter. Hidalgo’s mentorship is not confined to his formal advisees. Students who are not on his committee can still rely on him for advice on quantitative methods, knowing that he will make time for them. Over time, this has earned him a department-wide reputation as approachable, steady, and kind. His advisees’ research spans the discipline: business politics in China, applied machine learning, nationalism in Europe, and electoral politics in Latin America. As one student put it, mentees are “united not by a single topic, but by [Hidalgo’s] generous and inclusive mentorship.” Although his own scholarship centers on Brazil and Latin America, students say he tackles every project with genuine curiosity and intellectual investment, connecting them to literature they might never have encountered and sharpening their arguments’ credibility. At an institution where quantitative research is often the default, Hidalgo encourages methodological grounding that goes beyond the dataset. He pushes students to immerse themselves in the contexts they study: spend time in the field, talk to people, and absorb local political realities. Immersion, he argues, does not replace rigorous analysis — it sharpens it. Building community in a solitary profession Dissertation work can be isolating. In response, Hidalgo has launched a biweekly research group for his mentees. The group, now more than 10 students strong, meets throughout the semester to workshop ideas at any stage of development. Students describe it as a rare low-stakes space where early drafts are welcome and half-formed ideas encouraged. Discussions are intellectually demanding, but never hostile. The diversity of projects — across regions, methods, and topics — broadens everyone’s perspective. Hidalgo’s care for his students also emerges in small but meaningful ways. He brings snacks to meetings, organizes informal gatherings, and creates opportunities for connection beyond formal advising. During the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, he engaged students through reading groups and small gatherings. When visiting scholars arrive, he folds them in. When global or personal events weigh heavily, he checks in. One student recalled the morning after a deeply contentious U.S. presidential election. Rather than proceed as usual, Hidalgo canceled class and invited students to gather in his office. There were pastries and a space to talk — “a small, deeply touching gesture” that made an anxious day more bearable. Standing by students in moments of uncertainty Several nominations speak not only to academic mentorship, but to Hidalgo’s response during moments of personal and professional difficulty. One advisee described hitting a breaking point in their fourth year: stalled research ideas, a failed fieldwork trip, deteriorating mental health, and a departmental warning about insufficient progress. Rather than stepping back, Hidalgo leaned in — helping generate new project ideas, structuring attainable plans, and encouraging another attempt at fieldwork, which ultimately proved successful. Another student, pursuing an unconventional joint program bridging political science and statistics, described feeling academically isolated. Recognizing that need, Hidalgo helped create a reading group aligned with the student’s interests and encouraged collaboration across departments. As the student recalled, he “[put] the maximum trust in me to make decisions while always giving me the strong feeling that he [had] my back.” When students choose paths outside academia, Hidalgo is equally supportive — encouraging them to align their research and professional development with their goals, without diminishing the value of their work. His mentorship leaves a lasting imprint not only on students’ research, but on how they understand what it means to support others in turn. Across these experiences, a consistent theme emerges: Hidalgo challenges students to meet high standards while ensuring they never navigate those expectations alone.

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