Ying Gao

Ying Gao is a Senior Policy Manager at J-PAL Global, where she manages the Firms sector focused on private sector development and growth. As a member of the Policy and Communications group, she works with governments, funders, NGOs, and academics to build partnerships, manage competitive research funds such as the Jobs and Opportunity Initiative, and advance evidence-informed policymaking through writing and public speaking. She has helped develop new efforts including a research agenda on soft skills, research and policy collaborations on export-led growth, and corporate impact partnerships, and she supports the curation and communication of the Evidence Effect, a set of development solutions that merit greater attention or funding.

Before joining J-PAL, Ying worked on sustainable urban policy with the United Nations in Bangkok and in business finance at the Development Bank of Japan, a national development bank.

She holds a PhD in Political Science and a Master in City Planning from MIT. Her research examined economic informality and social behavior in Southeast Asia. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, gardening, and chasing after her two young children.