Isabelle Lieu: Three Fields, One Vision

Economics. Data Science. Art History. Most people hear the course load Isabelle Lieu has taken and

immediately ask why. It's a fair question. But once she explains how the three connect, the doubt tends

to disappear pretty quickly.

She built this combination deliberately, because each field covers ground the others leave exposed.

There's a logic to it once you see how her mind works. Together, they give her the skills that others in

her field don't usually have — the ability to master data analytics and still understand the humans

behind it.

Building a Foundation in Economic Theory

Economics at Cornell is famously tough. Students there don't just read theories — they prove them,

using math and careful logic. It takes time to get comfortable in that environment, but Isabelle Lieu’s

Cornell experience allowed her to find her footing early.

What pulled her in was healthcare economics specifically. This is the study of how money moves

through medical systems — why prescriptions cost what they cost, how insurance policies change what

families can afford, and what happens when a new law shifts the rules overnight.

These aren't abstract questions for Isabelle. She sees healthcare economics as an industry where

effective analysis can genuinely change lives.

She uses tools such as Stata and JMP to run that analysis. These programs let her sort through large data

sets and find what's actually going on beneath the surface of the healthcare industry.

Expanding her Reach with Data Science

Economics gave her the right questions. Data science gave her better ways to answer them. During her

sophomore year, Isabelle added a data science minor because she noticed something straightforward —

the world runs on information, and those who master data analytics have more to contribute.

What the NBA Taught her About Real-World Data

Her NBA analytics project is a good window into how she works. She took years of player statistics,

spent real time cleaning the data and fixing errors, and then ran analysis to find which on-court actions

were actually connected to winning games. This focus on data analytics meant looking for which

numbers genuinely improved outcomes, not just what looked impressive in a box score.

The project was fun, but it was also a serious exercise. Real-world data analytics is messy. It has gaps,

inconsistencies, and mistakes. Knowing how to handle that and still arrive at something trustworthy is a

skill that takes practice.

The Challenge of Turning Math into Plain English

She also made a point of presenting her findings simply. If a coach or general manager can't follow your

analysis, it’s useless. The ability to translate hard work into plain language is something Isabelle has

developed with intentionality.

Using Art History to Sharpen her Perspective

Studying art changes how you see things — literally. Art History classes don't feel like data work, but the

underlying habit is identical. You sit with something complicated, look past the surface, and ask what's

actually going on. Isabelle does that with paintings. She does it with numbers. The subject changes —

the method doesn't. The bigger payoff shows up when she builds presentations. She knows what makes a visual easy to

follow and what makes it confusing. She understands hierarchy, contrast, and what the eye naturally

moves toward. That knowledge makes her charts and slides genuinely clearer than most. In professional data analytics,

that matters more than people realize. A finding that's buried in a poorly designed slide might as well

not exist.

Finding Purpose in Campus Leadership

Pi Sigma Epsilon isn't your average student organization. Members work on actual business problems —

with deadlines, expectations, and outcomes that matter.

Taking Responsibility for Community Impact

Isabelle acted as the Philanthropy Vice President for her class and ran a campaign for Rach's Hope.

Raising $1,000 for families in intensive care meant chasing people down, rescheduling events, and

staying focused when things got messy.

She’s also worked with Alpha Xi Delta's Kindly Hearts Initiative, helping children in the foster care

system. For Isabelle, community work and professional ambition aren't separate categories. One feeds

the other.

Twenty Years of Data and a London Wake-Up Call

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty gave Isabelle her first taste of data work at real scale. The internship dropped

her into nearly two decades of global sales records with one core question: what was actually driving

revenue, and what just looked like it was.

Directing Strategy and Rethinking AI Ethics

She built models from scratch, stress-tested her assumptions, and helped shift how the company

allocated its marketing budget. Results improved across multiple campaigns.

What stayed with her wasn't the win. It was the realization of how badly things go when data gets

misread or misused. That led her toward AI regulation — specifically, how governments can protect

people's data without shutting down innovation. She hasn't landed on an answer. That's exactly why she

keeps thinking about it.

Two Industries, One Rare Skill Set

Finance and healthcare economics are both on her radar — demanding fields where decisions carry real

consequences. What she brings is a combination that's hard to find in one person.

She can work through a complex dataset and explain what it means to a room full of people who never

touched the numbers. That gap between analysis and understanding is where good work often gets lost.

Isabelle has spent years learning how to close it.

The economics, the data science, the art history — none of it was random. Throughout Isabelle Lieu’s

Cornell experience, the focus has been on shaping how she approaches complex problems in healthcare

economics, and the impact of that combination is only beginning to show.

To explore her full portfolio of technical research and recent academic projects, you can visit the official

Isabelle Lieu website.