John Victor Kane

John has always loved teaching and learning. But, to make that his career, he needed to take a life-altering step: getting a Ph.D. What this meant was that John would need to get over his love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with numbers and statistics. And he’d need to do it fast.

To his great surprise, John eventually discovered that data can tell a story—if only we know how to read it. Before long, John began teaching students how to use data to study the world in which they live. He would delight in watching those who once described themselves as “not a numbers person” slowly transform into evidence-based analysts. Always mindful that statistics can be taught (very) badly, he loved revealing to students that data analysis isn’t really about math—it’s about studying relationships between the things we care about.

John is an Associate Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. He has published dozens of articles in high-ranking, peer-reviewed journals, and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, CNBC, The Washington Post, Big Think, and National Public Radio. He teaches courses on research methods, data analysis, and public opinion, and has received teaching awards from both New York University and Stony Brook University.

His first book, “Truth Addict: How to Ask Questions, Test Ideas, and Get Answers in a Data-Driven World” was published by University of California Press. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.