Jia Zhang
Research Analyst at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
New York, New York, United States
Summary
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Senior🎓
Top SchoolJia Zhang is a research analyst and urban informatics specialist based in New York with 11 years of interdisciplinary experience at the intersection of data visualization, civic media, and critical cartography. With a PhD from MIT Media Lab and roles ranging from Mellon Research Fellow at Columbia to Data Visualization Engineer at USAFacts, she translates complex spatial and civic datasets into insightful, policy-relevant narratives and visualizations. She teaches at Columbia’s GSAPP while contributing to research initiatives at the Brennan Center for Justice, blending rigorous academic methods with applied design practice. Her background in studio-based art direction and industrial design informs a uniquely tactile approach to experimental geography and information aesthetics. Notably, she moves fluently between academia, nonprofit policy work, and production-scale visualization, making technical research accessible to planners, policymakers, and the public.
11 years of coding experience
14 years of employment as a software developer
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media Lab - Social Computing and Center for Civic Media, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media Lab - Social Computing and Center for Civic Media at MITM.S., Comparative Media Studies, M.S., Comparative Media Studies at M.I.T.BFA, Industrial Design, BFA, Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of DesignMaster of Fine Arts - MFA, Art/Art Studies, General, Master of Fine Arts - MFA, Art/Art Studies, General at Parsons School of Design - The New School
Chinese, English
Github Skills (26)
web-application7
atlas7
3d6
vector-tiles6
native-android5
react5
nodejs5
maps5
java5
geojson5
javascript5
ios4
openstreetmap4
webgl4
mapbox-gl4
Programming languages (5)
Github contributions (5)
CenterForSpatialResearch/NewPoliticsOfCare_map
Sep 2020 - Feb 2026
Contributions:161 pushes, 1 branch in 5 years 6 months
jjjiia/311
Sep 2016 - Feb 2019
Contributions:1 push, 2 branches in 2 years 5 months
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