Driven by childhood curiosity, my journey into physics was sparked by a desire to tackle tangible, real-world challenges. Today, as a data privacy scientist, I'm committed to fostering an inclusive data privacy community while making a meaningful impact in my field and beyond.
Claire McKay Bowen is a senior fellow and leads the Data Governance and Privacy Team at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on developing technical and policy solutions to safely expand access to confidential data for advancing evidence-based policymaking and ensuring everyone is responsibly represented in data. She also has an interest in improving science communication. In 2024, she became an American Statistical Association Fellow “for her significant contributions in the field of statistical data privacy, leadership activities in support of the profession, and commitment to mentoring the next generation of statisticians and data scientists.” Further, she is a member of the ICPSR Governing Council and other data governance and data privacy committees, and she is an adjunct professor at Stonehill College.
Bowen holds a BS with honors in mathematics and physics from Idaho State University and an MS and PhD in statistics from the University of Notre Dame. After completing her PhD, she worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she investigated cosmic ray effects on supercomputers.
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