Liang Xu

About Liang Xu

Director of Data Science with 15+ years of experience leading high-performing teams across experimentation, causal inference, privacy-preserving data utilization, and scalable machine learning.At Meta and Microsoft, I led major initiatives developing causal inference frameworks, scaling privacy-first systems, and advancing the robustness and durability of machine learning infrastructure. At TikTok, I lead a 20-person DS organization, transforming the team into a strategic partner across privacy, measurement, and targeting domains.I am passionate about connecting deep technical expertise with strategic business outcomesIf you’re passionate about experimentation, causal inference, or privacy-preserving data utilization, I’m hiring and always open to connecting.

Experience

1. Director of Data Science, Measurement, Signal & Privacy Tiktok Ads

   TikTok

   Apr 2024 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Lead a 20-person data science organization across Measurement, Signal, Privacy, and Targeting, elevating the team into a strategic business partner.• Drive initiatives enhancing advertiser-facing experiment products (Lift, Split Tests), restoring trust and strengthening product credibility.• Spearhead 0-to-1 initiatives optimizing third-party measurement outcomes, advancing the alignment between 1st party and 3rd party measurement results• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Go-To-Market leadership to align data strategy with targeting product roadmaps.• Built a strong senior IC pipeline and developed first-line managers, ensuring team resilience, rapid scaling, and org maturity

Education

• University of Washington

  Master

  2004 — 2008

• University of Washington

  Ph.D

  2002 — 2010

Skills

• Data Mining
• Search
• Optimization
• Scalability
• Strategy
• Algorithms
• Analysis
• Predictive Analytics
• Modeling
• Machine Learning
• Simulations
• Optimizations
• Statistics
• Big Data
• Ppc
• Online Advertising