Hi, I’m Kai! I am a sociology PhD student at the University of Michigan and a predoctoral trainee in the Center for Population Studies at the Institute for Social Research. I am interested in studying spatial inequality and urban processes with a computational bent. I spend my time thinking about how to define, quantify, and measure the sociospatial world with respect to what matters for shifting the needle towards justice.

Previously, I was in the federal consulting space doing data science work for nationwide social welfare programs. My research and academic background is paradigmatically diverse, having collaborated with researchers from departments as disparate as political science and computer science. In 2019, I received my degree in mathematics and urban studies from Vassar College, where I was given honors for my thesis in economics and excellence in interdisciplinary studies. A true interdisciplinarian and computational urbanist at heart, I am drawn to continue my studies in sociology and complexity science for their broad approaches to the study of society. It is my desire to equip communities with the information and resources they need to better their lives.

See my CV here.

Some things I value in research: open source, ethical data viz, sound statistical analyses, replicability of research, open access data, community engaged research, data democracy and the right to data, science communication, speaking up when needed and stepping back when not, touching grass

Questions for me or want to collaborate? I’d love to hear from you at kaimath [at] umich [dot] edu or on Bluesky at @kaimath.bsky.social.

Refer to me using they/them pronouns.

---