Civic Evidence

Rui Wang

Founder and principal

Biography

Rui Wang founded Civic Evidence to bring research-grade analysis to practical decisions about cities, the environment and infrastructure. He taught at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs (2008–16) and Johns Hopkins SAIS (2016–19), and was most recently a professor at China’s largest higher education joint venture.

He holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard and degrees in economics, natural resources and physical geography from Peking University. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles. His work has been cited by the IPCC and covered by The New York Times and Harvard Business Review.

He has studied in the United States and China and works in English and Mandarin. He is based in the Washington, DC area.

Education

  • PhD in Public Policy, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, 2008
  • MS in Physical Geography, Peking University, 2002
  • BA in Economics and BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Ecology, Peking University, 2000

Faculty appointments

  • Professor, Urban Planning and Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 2019–26
  • Associate Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, 2016–19
  • Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, 2008–16
  • Visiting appointments at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2013) and the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing (2014)

Editorial and advisory roles

  • Editorial board, Transportation Research Part D: Transport & Environment, since 2017
  • Editorial board, Journal of Urban Affairs, since 2021
  • Project panel, “Environmental Performance of Major Transit Projects,” Transportation Research Board, 2009–12
  • Co-founder and board member, ChangCe Institute, Washington, DC, 2013–19
  • Board member and treasurer, International Association for China Planning, 2015–19

Teaching and training

  • Courses in policy analysis, quantitative and spatial analysis, transportation and the environment, and urban policy at UCLA, Johns Hopkins, XJTLU, HKUST and Tsinghua
  • Director, Chinese Planning Professional Training Program, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, 2010–16

Honors

  • Stanford–Elsevier list of the world’s top 2% scientists, 2021–2026
  • Inaugural SAIS China Yeung Family Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, 2017
  • Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Best Valuation Paper Award, Asian Real Estate Society, 2014
  • Taubman Center Urban Prize, Harvard Kennedy School, 2008

Languages

English and Mandarin Chinese

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