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GeoPoll is excited to welcome Dr. Charles Lau to the team as our Chief Research Officer (CRO). Dr. Lau is an internationally recognized expert in survey research who specializes in harnessing innovative methods to improve data quality and researching new data collection methods. In this new role at GeoPoll, Dr. Lau will offer his technical expertise in research to support GeoPoll’s mobile device-driven data collection projects.
He joins GeoPoll from RTI International, where he led multi-mode surveys and conducted research on survey methods for 12 years. He was a survey methodologist for a decade and most recently led RTI’s International Survey Research Program.
Dr. Lau has conducted surveys in more than 30 countries for clients in the international development and commercial sectors. His experience includes study design, questionnaire development and testing, sampling, data collection, data processing, and analysis. Dr. Lau has used multiple modes—mobile phone, face-to-face, and web—to study diverse topics around the world. He has conducted public opinion surveys with the general public and special populations for the U.S. State Department, USAID, and the Pew Research Center. With the U.S. CDC, he supported Ministries of Health in 10 countries to use mobile phones for disease surveillance. Dr. Lau also led a program of nationally representative surveys on technology adoption with over 200,000 respondents in 12 countries.
His scientific research focuses on improving data quality through innovative survey methods, sampling, and measurement strategies. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in journals, such as the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Survey Research Methods, and the Journal of International Development, and recently served as an Expert Panel Member and Co-Moderator for a U.S. National Academies of Sciences panel on the quality of international survey data.
“I am delighted to join GeoPoll as the Chief Research Officer,” said Charles Lau. “GeoPoll is a global leader in mobile research: its technology platform enables scientifically valid, multi-mode surveys to support our clients’ data-driven decision making. I look forward to supporting GeoPoll’s mission and advancing to GeoPoll’s innovative data collection methodologies.”
Dr. Lau holds a PhD in Sociology and Masters in Epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a BA in Sociology from Brown University.