Ruoyu Chen

I use large-scale spatial data to answer critical urban-related questions about mobility, neighborhoods, and access in cities. My work combines geospatial analysis, causal inference, and machine learning to turn messy real-world data, e.g., consumer records, smartcard transactions, and mobile-phone traces — into insights that inform transportation and urban policy.

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Urban Planning and Development at USC Price School, advised by Professors Marlon Boarnet, Jorge De la Roca, and Geoff Boeing. I hold an M.S. from Peking University and a B.E. in Urban Planning (Economics minor) from Huazhong University of Science & Technology.

My research has been published in Geographical Analysis, Transportation Research Part A, Journal of Transport Geography, Transport Policy, and Journal of Urban Planning and Development. I also contribute data and software development to the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities.

More about my research can be found here.

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