Available to hire
Hi, I’m Xia Zheng, a data analyst with a Ph.D. in Sociology and 5 years of experience evaluating education programs and policies. I specialize in R, Python, SQL, and Tableau, with expertise in statistical modeling, causal inference, and program evaluation. I enjoy translating complex data into actionable insights to improve student outcomes and support evidence-based decision-making.
In my roles at Calbright College, Kids First Chicago, and the University of Chicago, I design and conduct rigorous data analyses, build dashboards, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to inform curriculum, policy, and program design.
Skills
Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Research Data Analyst at Calbright College
October 1, 2024 - PresentLed 10 research studies evaluating student learning outcomes, engagement, and program effectiveness; informed curriculum changes and services that raised completion rates by 15% and reduced ad hoc reporting by 40%. Developed 10 Tableau dashboards tracking assessment pass rates, program completions, time-to-completion, and learner progress by demographics; automated data processing from 10+ sources using Python, R, and Tableau Prep to improve data quality and reduce reporting time. Conducted mixed-methods evaluations including A/B testing of AI tools and tutoring programs. Collaborated with software engineers, instructional designers, and academic leadership to embed research insights into program design.
Research Scientist at Kids First Chicago
September 1, 2022 - June 1, 2023Designed and analyzed user surveys for a $50M digital equity program, contributing to a 15% increase in enrollment; improved data accuracy and cut reporting time by building a 200+ variable data cleaning pipeline and a relational database linking 12 surveys; collaborated with nonprofits and city agencies to create an outreach toolkit driving enrollment and funding.
PhD Researcher at The University of Chicago
September 1, 2020 - May 1, 2025Neighborhood Effects on Educational Outcomes in the U.S.; secured $22K in competitive funding, informed housing policy recommendations and school zoning discussions; applied Causal Forest algorithms and PCA in R to identify moderators of neighborhood effects on cognitive and socio-emotional skills; managed confidential national datasets on AWS.
Research Assistant at The University of Chicago
September 1, 2017 - September 1, 2020Long-Term Decline in Intergenerational Mobility in the U.S.; co-authored a top-journal publication; developed Stata pipelines (extraction, cleaning, linkage) for 300+ variables across 7 longitudinal surveys; built latent class trajectory models; coordinated cross-institutional research teams to complete analyses and manuscripts.
Project Leader, AI & Data Engineering Bootcamp at Laioffer
December 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024Fraud Transaction Detection with E-Commerce Big Data; developed predictive models using XGBoost and conducted OLAP with Spark SQL; applied SMOTE for class imbalance; trained and tuned Logistic Regression and Random Forest models with GridSearchCV; identified key fraud predictors and established performance metrics.
Project Leader at AI & Data Engineering Bootcamp
December 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024Fraud Transaction Detection with E-Commerce Big Data: Developed a predictive model using XGBoost to detect fraudulent transactions, improving fraud detection efficiency by 20%. Executed OLAP with Spark SQL and processed large datasets on Databricks. Applied SMOTE to address class imbalance. Trained and optimized Logistic Regression and Random Forest models with XGBoost, using GridSearchCV and selecting models based on F1 score. Identified key predictors and developed a robust fraud-prevention metric.
Education
Ph.D. in Sociology at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2025Certificate in Advanced Quantitative Methods at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026Certificate in Data Analytics at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026Education Pioneers Impact Fellow at Education Pioneers
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026M.A. in Social Sciences at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - December 1, 2017B.A. in Sociology (High Distinction), Minor: Applied Statistics at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
January 11, 2030 - April 1, 2015Ph.D. in Sociology at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2025M.A. in Social Sciences at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - December 1, 2017Qualifications
Phi Beta Kappa
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026James B. Angell Scholar
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026University Honors
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026Education Pioneers Impact Fellow
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026Education Pioneers Impact Fellow
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026Certificates in Advanced Quantitative Methods and Data Analytics
January 11, 2030 - January 7, 2026AI & Data Engineering Bootcamp
December 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024Industry Experience
Education, Non-Profit Organization, Professional Services, Software & Internet
Skills
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