Dana Kassem
I am an economist working in tech, where I use causal inference, economic theory, and AI methods to make sense of ambiguous real-world problems.
Currently, I am a Data Scientist at Netflix, specializing in causal inference and structural modelling for data-driven business decisions. Outside Netflix, I remain a researcher, focused on energy, environment, and development.
I hold a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics. My doctoral work was about the impact of electrification on industrialization and firm productivity, and the structural estimation of production functions.
What ties it all together is methods: causal inference, economic theory, and increasingly AI. I think the most interesting problems sit where rigorous empirical methods meet ambiguous real-world questions, and I would rather work across tech, policy, and research than pick a single lane.
I mentor and volunteer my skills to causes I am passionate about. I also co-organize gatherings of economists working in tech.
Top of Mind
- Co-organizing the 3rd NABE TEC Meetup Europe: economists working in tech, gathering in Amsterdam this May.
- Working on a structural causal framework for promotional media decisions at Netflix.
- Thinking about behavioral LLMs to simulate climate adaptation policy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Writing on consumption-linked debt and electricity access in Kenya.
Updated April 2026
Most Recent
Revisiting the Last Mile: The Development Effects of a Mass Electrification Program in Kenya
Get in touch
Open to good questions and interesting collaborations.