Alumni Profile: Iván Zamorano, Policy Research and Innovation Bootcamp’24

Iván Zamorano, who completed the Policy Research and Innovation Bootcamp (PRIB) in 2024 at The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, said he almost considers research akin to being a translator. “The answers to many important research questions lie with people—so talking to people to try to understand the issues is critical. Using all the technical tools to compile and distill that data—to accurately translate what people are saying into valuable, actionable research—is the key.”

Zamorano’s research interests lie in policy, data science, and artificial intelligence. Prior to completing PRIB, he had several research-based opportunities, including a policy research internship at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and research assistant positions with PhD graduates from Harvard University, Stanford University, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), and other public organizations.

Zamorano’s interest in research began while an undergraduate at ITAM, where he earned his BA in economics and is currently completing his master’s in economic theory.

“I’ve always liked math and wanted to work with mathematics, statistics, and economics to make people's lives better—to make positive social change using mathematics.”

While earning his bachelor’s degree, Zamorano took on several research assistant opportunities with PhD students and professors, during which he learned machine learning for social sciences. “I learned all these great models and the data cleaning process—which is absolutely essential for effective research.”

When Zamorano’s scholarship came to an end during his undergraduate studies, he began working in the financial and private sector to fund his degree. His work began with an internship at Morgan Stanley and the Global Quantitative Research Team in Mexico, during which he learned about research for finance. “I had assumed most research was academic. But at Morgan Stanley I realized that research is everywhere—including in the finance sector—because there are always big questions people want to answer.”

This revelation sparked Zamorano’s interest in pursuing a PhD, which led him to PRIB.

“I wanted to have in-person conversations with faculty members and guest speakers about pursuing a PhD and a research career—and PRIB was the perfect opportunity to discuss relevant questions with University of Chicago faculty.”

Unsurprisingly, Zamorano was also drawn to PRIB because of its focus on research. "During the program, Benjamin Krause from the Becker Friedman Institute gave me a lot of new model ideas and ways to think about a problem. And, through conversations with my classmates about their own research, I saw ways their approaches might connect to ideas I’m exploring."

Coincidentally, Zamorano said, a case study in PRIB centered on Puebla, Mexico—his hometown. “It was great to hear Harris faculty discuss their research, and I was able to provide a local point of view, which made me happy.”

Now, as he completes his master’s degree in economic theory at ITAM, Zamorano said he is already applying takeaways from his PRIB experience.

“I want to close the economic gap and social problems in Mexico, and I’ve been using the insight I gained at PRIB to refine my PhD research project, which looks at the effect of the Mexican election reforms of 2015 on the local debt levels in Mexico. PRIB definitely provided me with knowledge to better prepare myself for pursuing a PhD and continuing to develop my career path."