Yining Lei (pronounced yee-ning lay), PhD, AICP, specializes in housing policy and urban data science. Her research examines how housing policies shape residential stability and mobility, and how people weather and grapple with these policies. Methodologically, she is interested in using novel data sources and technologies as tools to answer these questions. Her work has been funded by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and has appeared in journals including Land Use Policy, Housing Policy Debate, and Journal of Planning Literature.

She received her Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, and a B.Eng. in Construction Management and a B.A. in English from Tsinghua University. Prior to doctorate, Yining worked as a research analyst and GIS coordinator at the New York City Housing Authority. 

Degrees
Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania
M.S. in Urban Planning, Columbia University
B.Eng. in Construction Management, Tsinghua University
B.A. in English,Tsinghua University