Blumenstock speaking at a conference

Research Bio

Joshua Blumenstock is a Chancellor’s Associate Professor at the U.C. Berkeley School of Information and the Goldman School of Public Policy. He is the Co-director of the Global Opportunity Lab and the Center for Effective Global Action. Blumenstock's research combines methods from computer science and economics, with a focus on how emerging technologies and new sources of data can better address the needs of poor and vulnerable populations. He has a Ph.D. in Information Science and a M.A. in Economics from U.C. Berkeley, and Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Physics from Wesleyan University. He is a recipient of awards including the NSF CAREER award, the Intel Faculty Early Career Honor, and the U.C. Berkeley Chancellor's Award for Public Service. His work appears in general interest journals including Science, Nature, and PNAS, as well as prominent economics journals (e.g., American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies) and computer science conferences (e.g., ICML, KDD, AAAI, WWW, CHI).

Research Expertise and Interest

machine learning, development economics, poverty and public policy, inequality and crisis

In the News

COVID-19 in the global south: Economic impacts and recovery

COVID-19 is threatening the health and economic security of communities around the world, with dire implications for those living in poverty. As the pandemic unfolds, the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is committed to sharing practical insights that can support evidence-based responses in the Global South.
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