Yusuf is a doctoral student in public policy. Originally from Alabama, he graduated with a bachelor’s in mathematical economic analysis from Rice University in 2006. Following this he attended the London School of Economics, receiving a master’s in international political economy in 2007. From 2007 to 2010, he worked as a Research Associate at the Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT, supporting projects examining development and political economy questions in Indonesia and India. His current research considers topics including: the influence of internet technology on contestable government procurement of goods and services in developing countries, the potential for adverse effects of increased transparency in legislative settings, and the impacts of election officer religious and caste identity on voter behavior in Indian elections. For the latter two projects he has been working closely with the  IQSS research consulting technology team to undertake large-scale acquisition of online administrative and historical newspaper data.