Cliff van der Linden

Cliff van der Linden is the Founder and CEO of Vox Pop Labs and an Associate Professor of Political Science at McMaster University, based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the creator of Vote Compass, a civic technology application developed alongside media partners like the CBC that has been utilized by more than 30 million users across 50 global elections. Holding a doctorate from the University of Toronto, he previously launched multiple venture-backed technology startups and currently serves as the Director of the Digital Society Lab. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, he has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and was selected as a 2025 Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute. His career focuses on the intersection of computational social science, artificial intelligence, and the impact of digital technologies on democratic participation and public policy.