Boston Chief Innovation Officer Santiago Garcés announced the appointment of Shin-pei Tsay as the new Chief Research and Data Officer within the Innovation and Technology Cabinet. Tsay, who joined the City in 2024, will lead Boston’s data and analytics teams to enhance city services and improve the lives of residents.

“Great data and research allow us to embrace the possibility of Boston,” said Garcés. “I’m thrilled for how Shin-pei’s leadership across data, design, and governance will help deliver great city services to all. This appointment signifies the incredible progress Boston has made in using data to empower our employees and constituents to make our services more efficient and reliable, drive equity, and learn together.”

“I am incredibly honored to step into this role and continue building upon Boston’s legacy of innovation,” said Tsay. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the talented Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and the Analytics team to partner with all city departments, so that innovation can meet the challenges of today while building toward the goals of the future.”

Tsay currently serves as the executive director for the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and will continue in this role as Chief Research and Data Officer. Her experience demonstrates a track record of solving urban challenges, including transportation, sustainability, use of public space, data standards, and design. 

Before joining the City of Boston, Tsay served as the global policy director for Cities and Sustainability at Uber. She also founded Make Public, a social impact analysis firm, and was the executive director of the Gehl Institute, a research nonprofit dedicated to creating more equitable, healthy, and vibrant public spaces.

She holds a B.A. in government from Cornell University and a Master of Science in geography from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Tsay has also taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Art, and Preservation and the Parsons School of Design at the New School.