Please join us for a UW Data Science Seminar featuring Thiyaghessan Poongundranar from the Urban Institute on Wednesday, May 14th from 4:30 to 5:20 p.m. PT. The seminar will be held in Electrical and Computer Engineering Building 125 – Campus Map.
“From Research to Impact: Data Science Approaches in Public Policy”
Abstract: The growing demand for US social sector data has created unique challenges for data scientists. This talk explores how the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics transformed its infrastructure to meet policy needs through cost-effective solutions that bridge research and practical applications. First, I will share user-centric design principles that help researchers develop public-facing dashboards and APIs that truly address stakeholder needs, with a focus on practical approaches for translating complex analysis into accessible, actionable
outputs. Next, I will demonstrate our technical architecture that optimizes performance while minimizing costs. I’ll cover how serverless architectures, WebAssembly implementations, DuckDB backend databases, and flexible R Shiny interfaces create an environment where Python and R tooling seamlessly coexist—delivering scalable solutions without excessive infrastructure investment. Finally, I'll present strategies that keep research teams focused on impact while maintaining methodological rigor. I will walk through our approach to balancing the demands of translational research with open science principles, ensuring both practical relevance and scientific reproducibility.
Biography: Thiyaghessan Poongundranar is a data scientist at the Urban Institute. He works with Urban’s Technology and Data Science team and Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy to provide analysis and support for research involving Urban’s National Center for Charitable Statistics. Poongundranar has applied research experience in machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing in the domains of political economy, public finance, and high-performance computing. Poongundranar holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in computational social science from the University of Chicago.
The 2024-2025 seminars will be held in person, and are free and open to the public.