Alumni Profile: Angelo Cozzubo, MSCAPP’21

Research is the thread that connects Angelo Cozzubo’s academic and career pursuits. “I like to pose new questions and apply the insight gained to help drive policy decisions that can change the lives of people in vulnerable situations.”

As a Principal Research Analyst for the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, Cozzubo conducts survey, econometric, and data science analysis for international development programs. “I sought the MSCAPP to expand my tool kit for doing novel research so I could ask new questions and gather new types of data," Cozzubo said.

What he gained from the Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy program, Cozzubo added, has been invaluable at NORC. "It enriches my toolkit and allows me to provide more valuable analysis to resolve global development challenges.” 

Cozzubo’s driving research interest, which began while an undergraduate at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (PUCP), is tackling poverty in Peru. While at PUCP, Cozzubo earned both a BA and license in economics and his thesis explored the poverty dynamics in Peru.

After graduating, Cozzubo further honed his research skills as an adjunct professor, a research assistant for Professors in Peru and internationally, and as a consultant with numerous Peruvian think tanks and branches of government.

Cozzubo said his greatest reward is seeing his research have an impact in real life. “While working as a consultant for the Social Development Ministry in Peru, I had the chance to evaluate the National Targeting Algorithm by combining survey, administrative, and geographical data to provide insights on how to improve the algorithm. I created new types of indicators and estimations to measure factors that were not measured before, and now the public sector knows how to measure and identify people that are at the risk of falling into poverty.”

Cozzubo’s analytical expertise with poverty and econometrics also helped him secure a role as part of the advisor team of the National Committee on Poverty Measurement from the National Statistical Office in Peru (INEI). “I had the opportunity to design and implement the first small area vulnerability map in Latin America—now an official indicator used by the Peruvian government.”

Even with his breadth of experience, Cozzubo said he knew there were aspects of research he didn’t know—and the MSCAPP at Harris, he said, was the best place to gain new analytic skills. “The Survey Questionnaire Course with Rene Batista and Large Scale Computing with Jon Clindaniel opened new possibilities for my research,” he said. “I was excited to learn about new approaches to formal questionnaires and scale computing applied to social science. One of the best things about the MSCAPP is you can go beyond coding and learn about new tools from experts in every area,” said Cozzubo.

Cozzubo also stays connected to Harris—mainly through Slack—and strives to advise Peruvian students in his current position as Adjunct Professor at PUCP. For all students, though, Cozzubo offers this advice. “Take advantage of the time you have at Harris. Choose your priorities, explore classes outside of Harris, try to get knowledge from alumni and other students, and be sure to take advantage of opportunities in and out of the classroom.”