Xinping Zora Gao

About Xinping Zora Gao

Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s in Financial Technology at Duke University, driven by a deep curiosity for the intricacies of finance. With a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, I have built a strong foundation in quantitative analysis, honing my skills in Python and R. My academic journey was enriched by hands-on projects, each illustrating my passion for using data-driven insights to solve real-world financial challenges.In my professional journey, I have taken on impactful roles that allowed me to blend theory with practice. As a Quantitative Analyst Intern at CICC, I contributed to the development of weekly industry reports and analyzed intraday market data, leading to improved forecasting accuracy and enhanced decision-making processes. At Weiying Capital, I managed quantitative trading strategies, utilizing advanced statistical models to optimize trading algorithms. My contributions significantly improved the firm\'s trading performance, resulting in a 10% increase in profitability over a four-month period. This experience further solidified my commitment to leveraging innovative financial strategies to achieve tangible results. At Deloitte, I supported the maintenance of a proprietary ESG database and liaised with data providers, streamlining data acquisition and ensuring data integrity, which resulted in more reliable and actionable insights for clients.Currently, I am pursuing my Master degree, focusing on the intersection of innovation and financial strategy. My deep interest in emerging technologies that promote efficient and secure financial practices has positioned me as a constructive force within the organizations I join. I am passionate about leveraging quantitative methods and financial innovation to craft robust, data-driven solutions, and I seek opportunities where I can apply this expertise to identify market\'s patterns and create value through strategic, analytical approaches.My journey is far from over, but my mission remains clear: to be more than a cog in the machine, to be a driving force that propels technological progress forward.

Experience

1. Product & Technical Lead

   TIAA

   Jan 2026 — Present · US

   AI Product Strategy & Roadmap: Defined the product vision by transitioning from a traditional scoring tool to an AI-first advisory experience. Conducted rigorous evaluation of LLMs (Gemini vs. Groq) across Financial Empathy (4.8/5.0) and Compliance (4.9/5.0) to ensure the product meets the high-stakes requirements of the financial industry.RAG-Powered Financial Copilot: Architected a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline that enables the AI to provide context-aware responses. Focused on JSON-native integration to bridge the gap between structured financial data and natural language conversations, ensuring 100% stability in UI rendering.Explainable AI (XAI) for User Trust: Designed an innovative \"White-box AI\" interface. By integrating SHAP/LIME insights into the conversational flow, the product doesn\'t just give a score but explains the \"Why\" behind it, significantly increasing user trust and perceived transparency.User-Centric AI Interaction (UX): Led the UI/UX design and frontend implementation (React), focusing on simplifying complex financial concepts. Developed a \"Questionnaire-to-Insight\" user journey that reduced cognitive load through progressive disclosure and AI-driven feedback loops.Governance & Ethical AI: Established safety guardrails and system prompts to handle sensitive financial inquiries, aligning the product with industry standards (CFPB) and ensuring defensive, non-hallucinatory AI behaviors.

Education

• Duke University

  Master of Engineering - MEng, Financial Technology

• Yale University

  Other, Economics

  2022 — 2022

• Beijing Normal University

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Statistics