Zining Yang is clinical professor at Claremont Graduate University. She also works as a senior manager at Southern California Edison, and associate director at TransResearch Consortium. She sits on the board of Computational Social Science Society of the Americas (CSSSA), and serves as scientific advisory board member for Human Factors and Simulations.
Yang leverages her expertise in data science to support energy procurement and management in Southern California, working closely with business clients, subject matter experts, information architects, data engineers, and other team members to turn data into critical information and knowledge that can be used to make sound business decisions. She has extensive experience in modeling complex analytical problems, discovering insights, and identifying opportunities through the use of computational, mathematical, statistical, algorithmic, data mining, and visualization techniques that are proficient at preparing and integrating large, varied datasets, overseeing the implementation of advanced analytical solutions. She provides direction for data analytics in support of transportation electrification, energy portfolio planning, trading and market operations, contract management, and settlements. Her contribution in cross-functional predictive and prescriptive analytical projects also supports sustainable energy infrastructure siting and promotes environmental justice.
Yang has won multiple international awards in computational modeling, and has been identified as an outstanding researcher by the government. She was invited to discuss her model that confirms and predicts economic and demographic development at top research institutes in China and Japan including Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Beijing Normal University, and the University of Tokyo, offering policy recommendations. Her presentation at European Solidarity Center and co-authored book with Korean Institute for International Economic Policy shed light on intertwined development paths of political stability and economic prosperity. She also mentors students in conducting research in optimizing urban planning, plastic bag ban policy diffusion, democratization, and other political economy related topics.
She received her PhD in Political Science with concentrations in World Politics and Methods from Claremont Graduate University in 2015. She also received an MA in International Studies from Claremont Graduate University in 2011, and an LLB in international politics from Beijing International Studies University in 2009. Her research interests include political economy, predictive analytics, computational modeling, and simulation. She has numerous publications in the fields of agent-based modeling, complex adaptive systems, network analysis, human social cultural behavioral modeling, and international political economy. Her recent research is indexed by Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer Advances in Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling, Springer Advances in Intelligent Systems Computing, Institute for Scientific Information, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library.
Office Location
McManus 230
Refereed Articles
- Co-authored with Riqian Li. “Feature Selection Modeling on Predicting EV Charging Station Coverage Rate in Southern California.” Advances in Human Factors in Simulation and Modeling, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (2020): 94-99.
- Co-authored with Yuan-Yuan Lee and Oliver F. Shyr. “The Urban Renew Case Study on a Feasibility Profit Sharing in Different Development Intensity by Game Theory.” Advances in Human Factors in Simulation and Modeling, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (2019): 78-86.
- Co-authored with Faizan Khan. “Simulation of Financial Systemic Risk and Contagion in the US Housing Market.” Advances in Human Factors in Simulation and Modeling, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (2018): 246-53.
- Co-authored with Kristoffer Wikstrom and Hal Nelson. “Agents in Space: Validating ABM-GIS Models.” Advances in Human Factors in Simulation and Modeling, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (2018): 216-24.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian and John Thomas. “Relationships Matter: Directors and Revenue Performance in the Fortune 500 Network.” Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Leadership, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (2017): 106-15.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian and Patrick deWerk Neal. “How Partial Behavioral Networks Drive Econometric Bias and Inefficiency.” Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Computing, Networking and Communications, (2017): 924-28.
- “An Agent-Based Simulation of Heterogeneous Games and Social Systems in Politics, Fertility and Economic Development.” Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 9708, (2016): 71-82.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian, et al. “Human Development Dynamics: Network Emergence in an Agent Based Simulation of Adaptive Heterogeneous Games and Social Systems.” Agent-Based Approaches in Economic and Social Complex Systems VIII, (2015): 3-14.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian and Patrick Neal. “Human Development Dynamics: An Agent Based Simulation of Adaptive Heterogeneous Games and Social Systems.” Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction: 7th International Conference, SBP 2014, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 8393, (2014): 3-10.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian and Hal Nelson. “Techno-Social Energy Infrastructure Siting: Sustainable Energy Modeling Project (SEMPro).” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 16, no. 3 (2013).
Books
- Co-edited with Ted Carmichael. “Computational Social Science 2018.” Conference of the Computational Social Science Society of the Americas. Springer Nature, 2019.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian, et al. “The Future of Korea’s Trade and Business Portfolio in North Africa: A Deep Horizon Political Economy Scan of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.” Studies in Comprehensive Regional Strategies 16-11, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, (2016).
Book Chapters
- Co-authored with Yi Feng and Zhijun Gao. “East Asia: China’s Campaign to Become a New World Leader.” In The Rise of Regions: Conflict and Cooperation. Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
- Co-authored with Hal T. Nelson and Nicholas L. Cain. “All Politics are Spatial: Integrating an Environmental Planning ABM with Spatially Explicit Landscape Data.” In Rethinking Environmental Justice in Sustainable Cities: Insights from Agent-Based Modeling, edited by Heather Campbell, et al. Routledge, 2015.
- Co-authored with Mark Abdollahian. “Trade Networks, Regional Agreements and Growth.” Handbook of the International Political Economy of Trade, edited by David Deese. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2014.
Advanced Formal Modeling, Social Network Analysis, Game Theory, System Dynamics, Quantitative Research Methods, Math for Political Scientists, Advanced Math for Political Scientists