Youyang Gu

Data Scientist

Speaking

If you would like me to speak at your event, feel free to get in touch via the Contact page.

You can find my biography here.

Potential Topics

I am always happy to tailor my talk to fit the audience. Below is a sample list of potential topics:

  • How to make a good predictive model
  • Challenges faced in modeling
  • Common pitfalls and biases
  • How to avoid overfitting
  • Inequalities and disparities in COVID-19
  • Common COVID-19 misinformation in the public and media
  • Lessons learned
  • Current state and role of artificial intelligence / machine learning
  • …Feel free to suggest your own

Quotes from Media

Below are some notable quotes written regarding my work. You can find a more comprehensive list of media coverage here.

  • The 27-Year-Old Who Became a Covid-19 Data Superstar” - Ashlee Vance, Bloomberg Businessweek
  • Seeing the disparate estimates early on, Youyang Gu, an independent data scientist, attempted to improve on the projections by developing his own model, and over time, it came to be regarded by many as the best individual forecast.” - Jo Craven McGinty, Wall Street Journal
  • The most accurate model to date predicts that the U.S. will head into November with 220,000 confirmed deaths.” - Ed Yong, The Atlantic
  • The U.S. death toll is likely to grow to 227,000 by just November 1, according to Youyang Gu — to date the most accurate modeler of COVID-19 in the country.” - David Wallace-Wells, New York Magazine
  • Cherry picking is easy — prediction is much harder, and Gu is getting some attention for the fact that models he’s been creating since April actually forecast what’s happened with the spread of the disease in the U.S.” - Faye Flam, Bloomberg
  • Youyang Gu, a young data scientist who independently created one of the most accurate forecasting models available, acknowledged that a fall wave could increase daily deaths by mid-November.” - Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker
  • In fact, Florida has seen a sevenfold increase in cases in the past month, said Youyang Gu, who developed a well-respected, machine-learning-based model of Covid-19 whose projections have been quite accurate.” - Sharon Begley, STAT News

Podcast Episodes

Selected Talks

  • Clemson University, USA Computing Olympiad Training Camp, May 2022
  • Stanford University, Data Science 101, May 2022
  • FS-ISAC Annual Summit Keynote, April 2021
  • Congressional Budget Office Town Hall, January 2021
  • CMS Global LifeSciences & Healthcare Forum, November 2020
  • University of Pittsburgh, The Emergence and Global Spread of COVID-19, October 2020
  • Marketplace Algorithms and Design Seminar, August 2020
  • MIDAS Network COVID-19 Modeling Call, July 2020