Curriculum Vitae
Collin Zoeller
Pre-doctoral RA, CMU Tepper · Incoming MSEC, Duke University · Fall 2026
Financial economist working at the intersection of machine learning, quantum computing, and empirical research. Using IRS administrative tax data to study firms, labor markets, and entrepreneurship.
Education
Carnegie Mellon University (non-degree)
Graduate Coursework
- Intro to Machine Learning (10-601, Graduate)
- Quantum Integer Programming and Machine Learning (Graduate)
Brigham Young University
Bachelor of Science — Economics (Emphasis in Econometrics)
Minors: Mathematics, Spanish · GPA: 3.71 · Honors Program
Relevant Coursework
- Advanced Econometrics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Linear Algebra
- Machine Learning for Economists
Research Experience
Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University
Pre-doctoral Research Associate
- Lead IRS administrative data project (~1.5B observations) involving high-dimensional econometrics
- Build pipelines for data engineering: SQL data lake, file storage, project workflow (SQL, Linux, Stata)
- Develop ANN/NLP methods for extracting structure from 1B+ open-text fields (Python)
- Technical training and assistance to 3 other RAs in Linux, Python, Stata, and computational optimization
Harvard Business School
Computer Vision Programmer & Research Assistant for HBS Ph.D. Candidate
- Constructed custom image segmentation + OCR + text-recognition for dissertation using 25k+ images
- Extracted and structured data from 1M+ data points for downstream economic and ML analysis
- Provided econometric design support and generalized OCR tools for new research applications
Brigham Young University Record Linking Lab
Research Assistant · Computer Vision Team Lead
- Managed 6+ CV projects for FamilySearch and historical data partners (Python, AWS, CV/DL)
- Delivered key insights and research to support genealogical data transcription using CV techniques
Working Papers & Research Projects
GAMA-IV: Quantum Annealing for Globally Optimal Instrument Selection
Duke MSEC Thesis · Working Paper
- Introduces a quantum-classical hybrid methodology for instrument selection in IV estimation
- Applies GAMA framework to the disaggregated Bartik setting of Goldsmith-Pinkham et al. (2020)
- Casts GPS information criterion as an integer program solved to global optimality on D-Wave hardware
GAMA Quantum Optimizations for High-Dimensional Least Squares
- Studies conditions under which the GAMA hybrid-quantum optimization solves the OLS problem
- Examines theory and implements it in D-Wave simulated annealers
Artificial Intelligence in Economic Research: Applications, Promises, Pitfalls
- Meta-analysis examining how applications of AI can harm and help researchers
- Produced slides and paper for future presentation
- Intended for general use and non-specialized researchers in the social sciences
Efficient Large-Scale Text Classification with ANN
- Develop a scalable pipeline for clustering large text corpora using ANNOY + SLM
- Demonstrates improved computational efficiency for feature engineering over standard clustering
- Authored technical paper and an open-source implementation publicly available on GitHub
The Big Book of Estimators
- Conspectus of estimators, assumptions, and use cases
- Intended for non-specialized researchers as a non-textbook reference for model selection
Contributions RA Work
Evolution of the Relationship between the Gig Economy and Entrepreneurship: The Heterogeneous Effects of Labor Market Disruptions
Research Associate · Denes, Lagaras, and Tsoutsoura
- Estimate DiD using IRS taxpayer microdata to study entrepreneurial responses to labor disruptions
- Built ANN text clustering pipeline for 1+ billion deduction fields
- Constructed a framework to parallelize Stata (Python/Stata; precursor to
StataHelper) - Provided data engineering, replication, and publication support
Entrepreneurship and the Gig Economy: Evidence from U.S. Tax Returns
Journal of Financial Economics · Research Associate · Denes, Lagaras, and Tsoutsoura
- Estimate DiD using IRS microdata to identify entrepreneurial transitions among platform workers
- Cleaned and structured datasets, maintained empirical codebase for journal submission
First Come, First Served: The Timing of Government Support and Its Impact on Firms
Research Associate · Denes, Lagaras, and Tsoutsoura
- Studies small businesses receiving paycheck protection loans during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Estimate DiD effects of PPP timing on firm financial health using credit bureau data
- Data cleaning, workflows, and publication preparation
Take-up of Flexible Labor
Research Associate · Denes, Lagaras, and Tsoutsoura
- Studies employment of flexible labor through tax deduction claims
- Trained text classifier RNN on 1 billion+ taxpayer-inputted deductions
Computational Tools & Research Software
'StataAgent' — Agentic AI for Natural Language Stata Interfacing (in progress)
Author
- Manipulates and analyzes data within Stata from user-inputted questions
- Useful for simple tasks (summary statistics, regressions) when correct syntax is unclear
'Explain' — Stata Package for LLM Interfacing
Author · Open-source on GitHub
- Interfaces Stata with LLMs for code debugging, explanation, and error analysis
- Useful for learning Stata and for commenting and digesting code
'StataHelper' — Python Package for PyStata Parallelization
Author · Open-source on PyPI & GitHub
- Systematically parallelizes variable Stata processes (simulations, tests, etc.)
- Wraps PyStata API and bridges syntax for simpler implementation
Presentations & Conferences
Family History Technology Workshop
City Directories Automated Indexing
- Presented custom OCR/NLP pipeline extracting data from city directories for economic research
BYU President's Leadership Council
Growing Together: Growing the Tree
- Presented research and methodological implementations of computer vision in genealogical research
Teaching Experience
Brigham Young University Economics Department
Econ 110 Teaching Assistant
- Taught 500+ students in introductory macro and microeconomics
- Hosted 15 lab hours each week and 1-hour lecture review for exam preparation
- Crafted test questions and graded all assignments for the instructor
Technical Skills
