I’m Xander Slaski, a political economist and data scientist specializing in international investment, political risk, and development finance. Based in Washington, DC, I am Chief Data Scientist at InterGen Data and teach in Georgetown University’s Department of Government.
At InterGen, I lead the development of predictive models and analytical tools for financial services. I use statistical modeling and machine learning to analyze financial, demographic, and behavioral data, helping assess the likelihood and financial consequences of major life events and support financial planning.
At the Center for Global Development, I co-led research and policy design on advance market commitments and other financing incentives for climate innovation, greenhouse gas removal, and methane reduction. I assessed financing gaps, investment opportunities, and implementation risks, producing policy papers and briefings for funders and decision-makers. I also coordinated research and partnerships to examine how public and philanthropic funding can encourage private investment in climate and energy technologies.
My academic research examines foreign investment, sovereign debt, and the effects of political uncertainty on financial markets. Ongoing work on commercial diplomacy and financial technology regulation addresses questions of economic security and financial governance. My research has appeared in International Studies Quarterly, the Review of International Political Economy, and the Review of International Organizations, among other journals. My book project, Investing in Influence: Multinational Firms and Political Power in Developing Economies, examines how foreign and domestic businesses shape economic regulation, drawing on evidence from Latin America.
At Georgetown, my undergraduate and graduate teaching covers international political economy, finance and development, global financial governance, and energy and climate policy. I also advise independent student research on investment, debt, and regulation.
I previously held research appointments at Leiden University and Tulane University, managing an international team on a European Research Council-funded sovereign debt project at Leiden. At Stanford’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, I led energy access research involving fieldwork in India, Uganda, and South Africa. My earlier experience also includes research at the World Resources Institute and project management for Princeton University’s partnership with the University of São Paulo.
I hold a PhD in Politics from Princeton University and a BA in Economics and International Relations from Stanford University, with honors in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy. My methods include econometrics, machine learning, survey experiments, and field research. I work with Python, R, SQL, and Stata, speak Spanish and Portuguese fluently, and am proficient in French.
