Samantha Fu is a senior policy associate in the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute, where she helps policymakers, practitioners, and advocates leverage data and evidence to dismantle systemic barriers and create conditions that allow all communities to thrive. She leads and collaborates on projects that explore how community ownership and control can contribute to more equitable, sustainable, and democratic societies. Her work has been cited by CNN, Bloomberg CityLab, The Hill, and other national media outlets.

Fu joined Urban from the California Policy Lab, where she conducted quantitative research in policy areas ranging from labor and employment to higher education and the social safety net. Before that, she worked in economic consulting at Cornerstone Research, on the analytics team for the 2016 Clinton presidential campaign, and as a Data Science for Social Good fellow at the University of Chicago's Center for Data Science and Public Policy. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science.