Ying Gao

Ying Gao is a Senior Policy Manager at J-PAL Global, where she manages the Firms (private sector development) sector. As a member of the Policy and Communications group, Ying works with governments, NGOs, academics, and others to build partnerships and advance evidence-informed policymaking. She also conducts research on the relationship between economic informality and social behavior in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

She previously worked on sustainable urban and regional development initiatives at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and was a corporate finance associate at the Development Bank of Japan.

Ying holds a PhD in political science and an MA in City Planning from MIT, and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.