Rayid Ghani serves as a Chicago Harris Senior Fellow and as Chief Data Scientist for the Computation Institute’s Urban Center for Computation and Data. As Chief Data Scientist, Ghani will help analyze city data and build complex computer models that simulate the impact of policy decisions and urban development. In addition, he will work with Chicago Harris on an array of efforts, including the launch of a new Master’s degree program in data-driven policymaking to be offered jointly with the Department of Computer Science, and a conference on urban technology innovation in partnership with the City of Chicago.
Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Ghani was chief scientist of the highly regarded Obama for America data analytics team. During the 2012 campaign season, Ghani’s team applied advanced data-mining and machine-learning methods to create new tools for fundraising, voter turnout, advertising and campaign strategy. Now, working with the Computation Institute and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Ghani hopes to adapt those methods to address challenges in areas such as education, public safety and health care.