Htay-Wah Saw

Background in Data Science, Survey Methodology, and Policy Analysis.

About me

Welcome to my website. I am a quantitative researcher, survey methodologist, and policy researcher with over a decade of experience specializing in data collection using emerging technologies and experimental methods to address both substantive and methodological challenges. My expertise includes advanced statistical modeling, experimental design, machine learning, and leveraging novel data sources to tackle complex business and societal issues.

Education and Skills

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor – PhD, Survey and Data Science, June 2025
RAND Graduate School – PhD, Policy Analysis, 2016
Iowa State University – MS, Economics, 2009
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania – BS, Economics, 2008

Quantitative Skills

• Complex survey data analysis
• Survey methodology
• Longitudinal data analysis
• Hierarchical linear modeling
• Structural equation modeling
• Machine learning
• Causal inference
• Experimental design

Technical Skills

• Stata
• Python
• R
• Qualtrics

Employment History

Senior Research Manager, Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunity (LEO)
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, IN
2025 – Present

Research Scientist, Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
2016 – 2025

Survey Methodologist, Institute for Social Research (ISR)
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
2020-2025

Assistant Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation
Santa Monica, CA
2011-2015

Publications

Saw H-W, Kapteyn A (2025) Personality traits, panel tenure, survey topic, and context as predictors of survey nonresponse patterns in high-frequency online longitudinal surveys. PLoS One 20(9): e0332902. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0332902

Nishimura, R., Gatward, R., West, B.T. & Saw, H.-W. (2025). Examining Predictors of Unsuccessful Mail Delivery for a National Address-Based Sample During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Survey Methods: Insights From the Field. Retrieved from https://surveyinsights.org/?p=20596

Saw, H.-W., Kapteyn, A., & Darling, J. (2024). Does Feedback from Physical Activity Measurement Devices Influence Physical Activity? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Survey Research Methods. https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/srm/article/view/8308

West, B. T., Couper, M. P., Axinn, W. G., Wagner, J., Gatward, R., Saw, H.-W., & Zhang, S. (2024). Toward a New Approach to Creating Population-Representative Data for Demographic Research. Demography. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-11693878

Saw, H.-W., West, B. T., Couper, M. P., & Axinn, W. G. (2024). What predicts willingness to participate in a follow-up panel study among respondents to a national web/mail survey? Field Methods, 36(3), 206-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X231193311

West, B. T., Zhang, S., Wagner, J., Gatward, R., Saw, H.-W., & Axinn, W. G. (2023). Methods for improving participation rates in national self-administered web/mail surveys: Evidence from the United States. PLOS ONE, 18(8), e0289695. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289695

Wagner, J., West, B. T., Couper, M. P., Zhang, S., Gatward, R., Nishimura, R., & Saw, H.-W. (2023). An experimental evaluation of two approaches for improving response to household screening efforts in national mail/web surveys. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 11(1), 124-140. https://doi.org/10.1093/jssam/smac024

Saw, H.-W., Owens, V., Morales, S. A., Rodriguez, N., Kern, C., & Bach, R. L. (2023). Population mental health in Burma after 2021 military coup: online non-probability survey. BJPsych Open, 9(5), e156. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.550

de la Haye, K., Saw, H.-W., et al. (2023). Ecological risk and protective factors for food insufficiency in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health Nutrition, 26(10), 1944-1955. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980023001337

Owens, V., & Saw, H.-W. (2021). Black Americans demonstrate comparatively low levels of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0253654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253654

Bruine de Bruin, W., Saw, H.-W., & Goldman, D. P. (2020). Political polarization in US residents’ COVID-19 risk perceptions. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 61(2), 177-194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-020-09336-3

Wah, S. H. (2018). Do employers in Myanmar prefer workers who accumulated skills in more advanced countries? IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 8, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40176-017-0106-2

Kapteyn, A., & Wah, S. H. (2016). Challenges to small and medium-size businesses in Myanmar: What are they, and how do we know? Journal of Asian Economics, 47, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2016.08.004

Kapteyn, A., Banks, J., Hamer, M., Smith, J. P., Steptoe, A., Van Soest, A., Koster, A., & Wah, S. H. (2018). What they say and what they do: comparing physical activity across the USA, England and the Netherlands. J Epidemiol Community Health, 72(6), 471-476. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2017-209703

Research Grants

My research has been supported by prestigious grants from various organizations, including:

National Science Foundation (NSF)
International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Open Society Institute (OSI)
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

These grants have enabled me to develop innovative methodologies for improving data quality.

Conference Presentations

I actively present my research at major academic conferences, including:

Current Innovations in Probability-based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER)

American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)

Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR)

Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)

Get in Touch

Email: swah@nd.edu, sawhtaywah@gmail.com, htaywah@umich.edu
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