Google Data Scientist and New York Times op-ed contributor Seth Stephens-Davidowitz will join the Russell Sage Foundation as a Visiting Researcher for the spring term, starting in February 2015.

Stephens-Davidowitz received a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard in 2013. His work focuses on using big-data sources to uncover previously hidden behaviors and attitudes. During his time in residence at the Foundation, Stephens-Davidowitz will work on a book tentatively titled Needles and Haystacks: The Smart Way to Use New Data, to be published by Harper Collins. Based primarily on Stephens-Davidowitz’s original research, the book will be a popular introduction to new big-data sets, including studies on how much racism cost Obama in elections, whether bad weather causes depression, how a bad economy affects crime, and whether advertising works, among other topics.

Click here to visit Seth Stephens-Davidowitz’s website.