I believe that curiosity, imagination, and creativity are the engines of the future.

I specifically want to bring those skills and out-of-the-box thinking to the world of data and data science, which too many people think of as the domain of only programmers and statisticians (who are also great! Don’t get me wrong! Some of my best friends are programmers and statisticians!).

But way too many smart, thoughtful, curious people who care deeply about the world have wrongly concluded that the world of data is not for them.

I’m here to change that!

By all accounts I should not have been a scientist.

I hated math growing up, took Latin instead of learning programming languages, and the only notable achievement I ever made in a science class was setting the lab table on fire with the Bunsen burner (my teacher said it couldn’t be done!).

Then, by pure accident (and not fully reading the program description on their website) I enrolled in a political science Ph.D. program straight out of undergrad. I thought I’d learn to write sweeping essays in outlets like Foreign Affairs and op-eds about the inevitability of war as a function of human nature – and instead on day 1 we started with matrix algebra. Then we did econometrics. Then more statistics. Then game theory. After a few years of fighting all the math they were throwing at me, I finally realized: Wow, this is a really useful way to think about the world.

Ever since I saw the light — on a snowy morning next to a fireplace at the University of Chicago student union while reading Robert Axelrod’s incredible 1997 paper “The Dissemination of Culture” where he turned culture (yes, culture! Of all things!) into numbers (!!) and was able to explain things like polarization and idea spread (or the lack thereof) through simple rules – I’ve been obsessed with getting other smart, curious people to be not just not afraid of math, but embrace using numbers thoughtfully to ask and answer some of the most pressing questions of our time.

Over the years since that fateful day at the fireplace, I have done all kinds of things to get people to also see this light, roll up their sleeves, and join me in this thoughtful quantification revolution. I’ve taught at Carnegie Mellon University, NYU Shanghai, and most recently the NYU Center for Data Science, where I was the Director of Undergraduate Studies and visiting associate professor who developed and taught their flagship course, Data Science for Everyone (which we taught to thousands of students, including through Covid), as well as upper-level courses in Natural Language Processing (my original love in the data science world)

Not content to limit my reach to institutions of higher education, I’ve also partnered with global Fortune 500s, tech companies, nonprofits, and government organizations to use data to tackle their most pressing issues, usually in the people analytics space. 

I’ve helped major global companies do all kinds of important things with data, including:

  • Collect data on and better serve the diverse needs of their employees around the world.

  • More objectively create and use data to evaluate performance and make promotion decisions.

  • Understand why they are losing high-performing talent,

  • Pinpoint the skills they currently have in their workforce versus the skills they need, and then make smart decisions around when to upskill or hire new talent (or both).

In all, for many years I’ve been proud to help employees and leaders make workplaces more innovative, resilient, adaptive, and agile, all through the power of data, subject matter expertise, and imagination!

I also do a lot of corporate speaking and training. Need someone to give a killer keynote at your next event, offsite, or conference to energize the audience about how we can all use data (and AI, and machine learning, and all the rest) to make discoveries?

Or, perhaps you need someone to facilitate a panel of top minds in a way that’s conversational, poignant, and also somehow fun all at the same time? Or perhaps an event host to introduce speakers and interview smart people in an engaging way?

Look no further – I love sharing my love of science, big ideas, and tangible actions with audiences of all kinds.

I’m also a podcast host, globally touring standup comedian, and a trained acrobat. I don’t always bring those skills explicitly to corporate events (unless you want me to!), but I do always bring the energy, humor, and quick thinking that are the backbone of my performance style to all my appearances.

Ready to work together?

I’d love to speak at one of your events, be a guest on your podcast, youtube or tv show, or partner with you or your organization to teach data science.

Fun Facts About Me

Obsessions:

  • Getting brilliant minds excited about science

  • My two adorable dogs

  • Finding the best vegan cheese

  • My forever love for NYC (and my second home, Shanghai!)

Can’t Stand:

  • The overpowering scent of car air fresheners

  • Sweet surprises in savory dishes (pomegranate seeds in salads—why?)

  • When people doubt their own potential

My Philosophy:
I firmly believe there’s no such thing as being just a “math person” or a “creative.” We’re all capable of brilliance in both! It’s all about finding the right way to unlock those skills and discovering what we’re truly capable of.

Featured Work & Appearances

I’ve had the honor of sharing my ideas and expertise across various platforms, from published articles to podcast guest spots and live shows. Here’s a glimpse into my journey:

Articles About Me

Articles By Me

Appearances & Events