Paul Xu is a Data Scientist at The Policy Lab, where he delivers key data science insights from varying types of structured and unstructured data across governmental domains, including education, labor, public health, and procurement.
Paul’s diverse responsibilities as a Data Scientist include building end-to-end machine learning models, conducting causal inference on experimental and observational data, automating and optimizing governmental processes and data science workflows, and creating data visualizations to effectively communicate and disseminate analytical insights.
Paul received his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College in 2019, specializing in Learning Analytics and Computer Science Education. Combining his passion in data science and education, Paul designed innovative computing tools and curricula to support low-income middle schoolers to learn Python and science through collecting data with microcontrollers and sensors. He also contributed statistical expertise for multiple publications on an innovative online learning environment designed to improve reading comprehension of struggling middle school readers.
Before coming to the United States in 2012, Paul taught English in China. He holds a Master's Degree in English Language Learners from Vanderbilt University. His passion for languages also applies to programming languages. Proficient in Python and R, he likes to geek out on other languages such as Go, Javascript, Haskell, Scala, and C++. He is also an avid photographer with his work published in an international magazine.
