Chris Albon

About Chris Albon

I am a data scientist, and the co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Popily. I am also the co-host of the data science podcast, Partially Derivative. Previously, I lead Ushahidi's work on crisis and humanitarian data and launched CrisisNET. Prior to Ushahidi, I was Director of the Governance Project at FrontlineSMS. I earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis researching the quantitative impact of civil wars on health care systems.

In 2008, I founded Conflict Health, a blog on the defense of health and health workers in armed conflict and political violence. I also wrote for the Daily Dot, United States Naval Institute Blog, TheAtlantic.com, ForeignPolicy.com, UN Dispatch, and elsewhere.

I earned a B.A. from the University of Miami, where I triple majored in political science, international studies, and religious studies.

I code in R and Python, and write in Markdown.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Davis. 2012
    • Dissertation: "Civil Wars And Health Systems", a quantitative analysis of the determinants of rebel and government behavior towards health system destruction and reconstruction using original data
    • Fields: International Relations, Quantitative Methodology, and Epidemiology
  • M.A., Political Science, University of California, Davis. 2010
    • Thesis: "U.N. Peace Operations And Public Health After Civil War"
  • B.A., University of Miami, Miami, FL. 2006
    • Triple majored in political science, international studies, and religious studies

Experience

  • Co-founder & Chief Science Officer, Popily, 2015 - Present
    • In charge of everything data science and product.
  • Co-founder & Co-host, Partially Derivative, 2014 - Present
    • Co-founded a podcast on data and data science.
  • Volunteer Data Scientist, DataKind, 2015 - Present
  • Director of CrisisNET, Ushahidi, 2014 - 2015
    • Launched a pipeline for global humanitarian crisis data.
  • Director of Data Projects, Ushahidi, 2013 - 2014
    • The non-profit's first data science hire; led all data science efforts.
  • Project Director, FrontlineSMS, 2012 - 2013
    • Led FrontlineSMS's Governance Project, an effort improve the transparency and accountability of governments through mobile technology
  • Contributor, Daily Dot, 2012 - 2013
    • Write opinion pieces on the politics of data and the internet
  • Contributor, United Nations Dispatch, 2011 - 2013
    • Write news, opinion, and analysis on global affairs, particularly relating to health during conflict, global health politics, and the role of social media
  • Blogger, Conflict Health, 2008 - 2012
    • Designed and launched blog on defending health and health workers against persecution, violence, and armed conflict
    • Wrote 485 posts over four years
    • Cited by major publications including The Atlantic, Harpers, Wired, The Economist, Time, The Guardian, and The American Prospect
  • Contributor, United States Naval Institute Blog, 2009 - 2011
    • Wrote posts on the U.S. Navy's role in disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and health diplomacy for one of America's most prestigious professional military associations
  • Research Assistant, U.C. Davis Department Of Political Science, 2008 - 2009
    • Researched the effect of U.S. defense policy on military suicides
  • Founder, Serve Your World 2002 - 2006
    • An information site on overseas volunteering