APM RESEARCH LAB:
BRINGING FACTS INTO FOCUS
OUR MISSION: To foster an engaged democracy by inspiring curiosity, inquiry and discussion through fact-driven, credible research and analysis.
OUR VALUES: Independent, useful, informative, nonpartisan
The APM Research Lab is home to a team of researchers who inform the public with both original and curated research, facts and analysis. This work equips journalists, civic and business leaders and anyone else who want to know what the best research says about challenges and opportunities facing families, communities and organizations throughout the nation.
Read more about us below.
what we do
The APM Research Lab conducts research projects of all types—surveys, demographic analyses, literature reviews, and more—and informs the work of partner organizations and the broader public through traditional reports, as well as infographics, blog posts, interactives, presentations, and other platforms.
We are a member of the American Associate for Public Opinion Research’s Transparency Initiative and abide by its standards.
The Research Lab augments the work of other members of the American Public Media Group family, including Marketplace, APM Reports, Minnesota Public Radio News, Southern California Public Radio, the Water Main, and Call to Mind.
In addition to philanthropic support and partnership, we are happy to entertain requests for proposals and other contractual inquiries related to research and analysis.
The APM Research Lab is generously supported by an anonymous fund of the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation.
staff
Craig Helmstetter, Managing Partner
Email: info@apmresearchlab.org
Twitter, LinkedIn
Craig Helmstetter leads the Research Lab, directing the overall agenda and developing new projects, as well as providing hands-on analysis and reporting. Craig joined American Public Media from Wilder Research. His 16 years there included helping to establish and then lead the Minnesota Compass initiative.
Craig also has experience as an evaluator with Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor’s Office, a project manager with a survey research center, is the past President of the Community Indicators Consortium, and currently serves on the Transparency Initiative Coordinating Committee of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Craig is a graduate of Luther College, and received both a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Oregon, where he focused on quantitative methods, survey research, public opinion, political psychology, and social stratification. Craig lives outside of Minneapolis where he enjoys running, skiing, and spending time with his family.
READ CRAIG’S WORK HERE
Alyson Clary, Senior Research Analyst
Email: aclary@apmresearchlab.org
Phone: 651.290.1092
Alyson joined the Lab in 2019 as a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow after earning earned a doctoral degree in comparative literature from Emory University, and she has continued at the Lab since the end of her fellowship. Previously Alyson served as a research specialist with the Nature of Evidence Initiative at Emory, which deepens students’ engagement with research and evidence within and between disciplines. She also served as a research and editorial assistant for The Letters of Samuel Beckett project, a graduate instructor, and a teaching fellow.
READ ALYSON’S WORK HERE
Elisabeth Gawthrop, Data Journalist & Digital Specialist
Email: egawthrop@apmresearchlab.org
Phone: 651.290.1246
Elisabeth is a data journalist from Indianapolis. Before joining the Lab, she was a reporting fellow for Columbia Journalism Investigations and a freelance data journalist and fact checker. She was part of the team behind Columbia and the Center for Public Integrity’s series “Hidden Epidemics”, which won first place for public health reporting (large newsroom) in the 2020 Association of Health Care Journalists awards. She loves diving into the details in data reporting, as well as using a solutions lens in investigative projects.
Elisabeth also has a decade of experience in researching and communicating climate science and international development. She holds a bachelor’s in environmental science from Indiana University and master’s degrees in investigative journalism and climate and society from Columbia University.
READ ELISABETH’S WORK HERE
Rithwik Kalale, Data Journalism Fellow
Email: rkalale@apmresearchlab.org
Rithwik Kalale is APM Research Lab’s 2023 Ten Across Data Journalism Fellow. He is currently completing a master's in Digital Audience Strategy from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. There, he worked as a health reporter with the Robert Wood Johnson Southwest Reporting Initiative, covering health policy-related stories in states like Arizona, Texas and California. Rithwik focuses on print digital and audio-based journalism, specifically on topics related to health, politics, community and sustainability. His passion lies in taking numbers and stats and converting them into narrative-driven pieces. Rithwik has worked for publications such as Arizona PBS and KJZZ News, as well as creative journalism orgs like Zocalo Public Square and TARO Magazine. When he's not writing, Rithwik can be found listening to music, in the Nintendo Switch games aisle, or visiting family in California and India.
READ RITHWIK’S WORK HERE
support US
You can help secure the role of facts and analysis as the bedrock for the critical societal discussions of today and tomorrow by donating directly to APM Research Lab.
Your investment ensures the work of the APM Research Lab will remain strong and continue to grow.
To become a philanthropic corporate partner, contact Julie Brauninger at jbrauninger@mpr.org or call 651-290-1287.
Our WORK
APM Research Lab produces credible research, surveys, demographic analysis, data visualizations, and more. Our work is fact-based and nonpartisan, and is often done in partnership with newsrooms, nonprofit groups, community organizations and others.
We do collaborative projects with national partners about topics ranging from healthcare to environment to politics.
AWARDS:
Sacremento Press Club, 2023 Annual Journalism Award finalist in Public Health Reporting for “California Nursing Homes Are Becoming ‘De Facto Mental Health Centers,” by Elly Yu (LAist) and Elisabeth Gawthrop (APM Research Lab).
Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association, 2023 Eric Sevareid Award in Investigative Reporting for large market radio, for “Minnesota counties stand to lose millions after Supreme Court ruling” by Kirsti Marohn (MPR News), Alyson Clary (APM Research Lab), with editing by Tom Sheck (APM Reports).
Investigative Reporters & Editors, Longform Journalism in Audio, 2023 finalist for “The Uncertain Hour: The Welfare to Work Industrial Complex,” Marketplace from American Public Media. By Krissy Clark, Peter Balonon-Rosen, Grace Rubin, Caitlin Esch and Michael May with staff and APM Research Lab (Elisabeth Gawthrop and Alyson Clary).
Alliance for Women in Media, 2022 Gracie award in local radio documentary for “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought” by Texas Tech Public Media (Kaysie Ellingson and Jayme Lazano), The Texas Newsroom, Texas Public Radio (Fernanda Camarena), PBS Frontline, and American Public Media Research Lab (Kristine Liao and Katherine Sypher).
Texas Medical Association, Anson Jones, MD Awards, 2022 Winner, In-Depth Radio News for “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought” by Texas Tech Public Media (Kaysie Ellingson and Jayme Lozano), The Texas Newsroom (Mark Memmott), Texas Public Radio (Fernanda Camarena), PBS Frontline (Phil Bennett and Sarah Childress), and American Public Media Research Lab (Craig Helmstetter, Kristine Liao and Katherine Sypher).
OUR PARTNERS HAVE INCLUDED:
Our work encompasses both one-off, topical data analysis and longer form, large scale and ongoing explainer series.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Employment opportunities
We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.
No current openings
For other opportunities with the American Public Media Group, see https://apmgcareers.org/.
CONTACT US
See how our work is showing up in the media, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Tableau Public, and sign up for our newsletter. Journalists interested in interviews or other media requests from the APM Research Lab should contact info@apmresearchlab.org.
Anything else? Contact us via the form below or email info@apmresearchlab.org.