Zhen Lian

Zhen Lian

Postdoctoral fellow

Lyft Rideshare Labs

mail at zhenlian.me OR zlian at lyft.com

About me

I am a postdoctoral fellow at Lyft Rideshare Labs. I am broadly interested in the economic decisions and welfare impacts in marketplaces, such as ride-hailing and the broader gig economy markets. Taking a combined view of operations and economics, I am particularly interested in the industry-level dynamics of marketplaces, such as competition and growth.

I strive to generate real-world impact through my research. In summer 2020, I worked as a research science intern at Lyft Marketplace Labs on understanding drivers’ participation patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since November 2020, as part of a research team of three, I have been deeply involved in designing new school schedules at San Francisco Unified School District.

Prior to joining Lyft, I obtained my Ph.D. from Cornell University, where I was very fortunate to work with Garrett van Ryzin and Li Chen. Before that, I obtained my bachelor’s degree at Peking University in Beijing, China.

In summer 2023, I will join the Operations group at Yale School of Management as an assistant professor.

See here for more about my research.

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