Founded, Chaired and formally launched by Generation1.ca Founder and CEO Arundati Dandapani at AAPOR’s 81st Annual Conference in Los Angeles, the Global Research Affinity Group brings together an international community of researchers from across professional associations including WAPOR, ESRA, Esomar and beyond.
In this episode of Leading by Association, Arundati is joined by Zupeng, a Generation1.ca first mover and arriver himself, and a member of the Global Research Affinity Group. Currently completing his Master’s in Survey and Data Science at the University of Michigan, with a research assistantship at the Institute for Social Research, Zupeng brings a rare perspective across survey methodology, international mobility, inequality, consumer research and applied data science.
Together, they explore how researchers can better reach and measure populations that standard survey frames often fail to capture, from migrants and mobile communities to hard-to-reach groups whose realities do not fit static demographic categories. The conversation also connects Zupeng’s methodological interests with Arundati’s own work in synthetic data, diaspora research and immigrant futures, asking where AI and augmentation can strengthen representation, and where lived experience, community engagement and human judgment must remain at the centre of valid research.
This episode is a thoughtful exchange on measurement, migration, inequality and the future of global public opinion research. We end with getting on a team from the University of Michigan to our Fall Career Fair and Case Competition. Tune into the conversation below and watch this space for the full episode.
