For learners
Level up your skills with studio style mentorship. Sharpen your data game, master storytelling, and walk away with portfolio pieces that stand out.
Our Vision Plotting Policy for People
Policy research too often sits buried in PDFs. At Poli Plot Labs, we turn analysis into visual stories co-created with students, practitioners, and communities so insights travel faster and reach the people who matter.
Our approach blends rapid data analysis with editorial design and context building. Every piece we publish is rooted in methodological rigor, plain language, and clear pathways to action.
- 2 student storytellers launching our pilot studio cohort.
- 1 partner putting our decision ready prototypes into practice.
- 3 policy domains in motion: energy, public health, and education.
For partners
Work side by side with us to turn complex research into bold, clear insights that move stakeholders and inspire decisions.
For readers
Dive into fast, visual explainers in five minutes or less. Get context you can trust, graphics that pop, and next steps you can act on.
Story Pipeline
From Ideation to Insight
At PPL, ideas do not sit still. Our story pipeline shows how a spark, whether a class project, dataset, or policy question, moves through intake, shaping, and publishing. At each stage we outline the goal, the collaborators involved, and the tools that keep momentum steady until the story is ready to share.
Current Stage
Listen & Frame
Intake labs align the policy question with lived context, policy windows, and the decisions partners need to move.
What we focus on
- Map the landscape with policy partners
- Surface the people, constraints, and opportunities shaping the brief
- Define success measures and storytelling guardrails together
Output
Framing brief, stakeholder snapshot, shared success metrics
Team
Meet the Studio Leads
PPL is co-led by two policy storytellers who have interests in pairing data analysis with design-forward narratives.
Policy storyteller and visualization specialist focused on translating quantitative research into visual explainers that move audiences.
MPP graduate from UNC Chapel Hill who builds data stories and visual frameworks that help partners see the signal faster. Tristen leads narrative development, visualization critique, and activation strategy.
Applied policy data analyst who pairs rigorous quantitative methods with storytelling that feels human.
MPP graduate from UNC Chapel Hill focused on public health and nutrition policy. Bhairavi architects our evidence engine, oversees QA, and helps student analysts articulate methodology in accessible language without compromising rigor.
Meet the Contributors & Studio Alumni
Our studio community brings projects to life through research, visualization, quality review, and editorial polish. Every contributor adds a unique craft that strengthens the stories we share.
Open Role
Energy Team
UNC Public Policy · TBA.
Open Role
Public Health & Epidemiology Team
UNC Public Policy · TBA.
Open Role
Education Team
UNC Public Policy · TBA.
Our Journey
A Growing Lab with Momentum
Poli Plot Labs began with a simple idea: policy stories should move as quickly as the questions they answer. What started as an experiment in student storytelling is now a growing studio where research becomes visual, rigorous, and community centered. Here’s how the momentum is building.
May 2025 · Poli Plot Labs Ideation
Tristen and Bhairavi prototyped the first Poli Plot Labs concept after conclusion of graduate studies.
September 2025 · Pilot Studio Inaugural Post
The first official Poli Plot Labs post is made available for public viewing.
October 2025 · Partner Momentum [Current Phase]
Initial recruitment for university partners commences and growing number of contributors.
Looking Ahead · Amplifying Impact
We plan to expand the studio model, continuing to engage potential partners, and building an open network of students ready to showcase their skills.
Build with Us
Want to co-create a policy story or mentor students as they turn class projects into public-facing work? Partner with us to help design the next narrative together.
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