Interview with Ann Furbush, Economist

Ann Furbush is an Economist for our team based in the U.S. We sat down with Ann to discuss the projects she is currently working on and what she is looking forward to most about her new role at Cambridge Econometrics.

Tell us about your role at Cambridge Econometrics

I am an Economist on the Society team based in the U.S. office. Most of my work focuses on regions, cities and local areas, which often overlaps with other topics such as infrastructure and inequality.

What are your areas of expertise?

My career so far has focused on equity assessment, environmental impact analysis and public policy evaluation.

On the technical side, I have experience in econometrics and am an experienced coder in Stata.

What has been a career highlight for you?

At my previous company, I was involved in a project supporting two states in litigation against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis. We worked on all aspects of the litigation process, which involved:

  • identifying defendants
  • determining liability
  • assessing fiscal damages
  • creating a strategy to distribute potential settlement funds among counties and municipalities

As part of defendant identification, I created an algorithm to review millions of transactions between manufacturer, distributers, and pharmacies and flag suspicious orders.

We worked with high-profile experts and presented our findings to the attorneys general in the states. Ultimately, the states received hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement.

Tell us about a project that you are currently working on

I am working on the economic development portions of a few master plans for small towns in Massachusetts.

Through my work in the U.S. office, I am also involved in other Massachusetts-based projects related to local economic development.

I am also working on a workforce equity assessment in three large cities in the Americas that are considering climate intervention investments.

Most of my project work involves data collection, analysis, and synthesis into a report.

What Inspired you to work at Cambridge Econometrics?

I was really drawn to Cambridge Econometrics’ “clarity from complexity” tagline. I appreciate the firm’s emphasis on informed and data-driven analyses with demonstrable real-world applications.

Finding a job that aligns with my beliefs is also very important to me and I valued Cambridge Econometrics’ dedication to analysis that has a positive impact on society, the economy and the environment.

Being one of the first employees in the US branch is very exciting as there is so much potential and opportunity to develop.

What are you looking forward to most about your new role?

I really love doing research. I enjoy working with clients, coding, creating data visualizations, and writing reports.

Beyond the day-to-day aspect of the job, I am excited to help the U.S. office grow and expand.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I love to be active outdoors. On weekends or after work, you can find me rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, biking, or doing yoga in the sun. I also enjoy reading, cooking, and playing board games with friends.

My partner and I are in the process of closing on a house nearby the U.S. office, so I imagine a great deal of my time in the near future will be spent painting, shopping for furniture, and doing other house-related projects.

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