Valerie Boctor

I am a Research Data Scientist at Google on the Ads Insights and Measurement team, where I study consumer behavior using large-scale data and causal inference tools. I am especially interested in how people make financial and purchasing decisions, how firms can better understand those decisions, and how empirical research can translate complex consumer patterns into business and policy strategy.

I completed my Ph.D. in Economics at the University of California, Berkeley (G’25), where my dissertation focused on consumer finance and empirical macroeconomics. My research examined how households respond to financial stress, credit access, and policy interventions, with a broader focus on the macroeconomic implications of consumer behavior. Across my work, I am drawn to questions at the intersection of data, consumer behavior, and business: how people process information, what choices they make, and how organizations can make better decisions in response.

My previous experience includes roles at Capital One, the Bank for International Settlements, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In 2021, I collaborated with economists at the Bank for International Settlements to analyze the impact of fiscal deficits on inflation risk during the COVID-19 crisis. Our work was featured in the International Monetary Fund Seminars Recommended Reading.

Prior to my doctoral studies, I graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, Political Science, and Modern Foreign Languages, with concentrations in Arabic and French. While at Syracuse, I also served as a Compliance Risk Policy Analyst in the Compliance Risk Policy Division at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, where I focused on regulatory compliance and risk management policies for commercial banks.

Outside of work, I enjoy developing recipes for bespoke cakes and desserts for special occasions. See the ‘Other’ tab for more.