10 Instacart AI and data science leaders
Instacart AI and data science leaders on this page currently hold titles such as Senior Director, Head of AI @ Caper, Connected Stores, Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering, Senior Director, Data Science, Director of Machine Learning and Director, AI Product. A reader can learn how AI and data science leaders work at Instacart from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Harold Zhang
LinkedInExperience: Head of Data Science & Analytics - Shopping, Agentic Commerce, Catalog and Retailer · Instacart
Harold Zhang has been Head of Data Science & Analytics - Shopping, Agentic Commerce, Catalog and Retailer at Instacart since January 2026, a role at Director level. Harold Zhang was Head of Platform Data Science & Analytics at Instacart from 2023 to 2025 and worked in Fulfillment Data Science there from 2022 to 2023.
Jason Xu
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Head of AI @ Caper, Connected Stores · Instacart
Jason Xu has been Senior Director, Head of AI @ Caper, Connected Stores at Instacart since September 2024. Jason Xu was Executive Director at WeRide from 2019 to 2024, Director, Head of Augmented Reality at DiDi from 2017 to 2019 and Senior Director, Head of Deep Learning and Vision at Blippar in 2017.
Joe Wu
LinkedInExperience: Director, Data Science · Instacart
Joe Wu has been Director, Data Science at Instacart since September 2025, and also held Senior Manager, Data Science at Instacart from 2022 to 2025. Joe Wu was Manager, Data Science at Instacart from 2021 to 2022 and Manager, DS & Analytics at Zynga from 2019 to 2021.
Nicholas Gordenier
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Data Science and Analytics · Instacart
Nicholas Gordenier has been Senior Director, Data Science and Analytics at Instacart since October 2026, and also holds Director, Data Science & Analytics there, a role started in 2024. The profile names an Ads and Marketing data science and product analytics portfolio, and Nicholas Gordenier was Senior Manager, Data Science at Instacart from 2021 to 2024 and Data Science Manager, Ads from 2020 to 2021.
Robert Victor
LinkedInExperience: Director, AI Product · Instacart
Robert Victor has been Director, AI Product at Instacart since June 2026, a Product role at Director level. Robert Victor was Head of Product, Engineering and Applied Science, New Generative AI/LLM Initiative at Amazon from 2019 to 2026, and has been an Adjunct Lecturer at Penn State University since 2025.
Shishir Kumar Prasad
LinkedInExperience: Director of Machine Learning · Instacart
Shishir Kumar Prasad has been Director of Machine Learning at Instacart since January 2026, and also held Director of Machine Learning there from 2024 to 2026. Shishir Kumar Prasad was TLM, Content & Recommendations AI at Instacart from 2023 to 2024 and Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer there from 2022 to 2023.
Tilman H. Drerup
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering · Instacart
Tilman H. Drerup has been Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering at Instacart since October 2024, leading the economics team on topics that include growth, pricing and ads. Tilman H. Drerup was Director of Machine Learning Engineering at Instacart from 2022 to 2024 and Senior Manager of Machine Learning and Economics there from 2020 to 2022.
Tushar Shanker
LinkedInExperience: Director, Data Science & Analytics · Instacart
Tushar Shanker has been Director, Data Science & Analytics at Instacart since January 2026. Tushar Shanker was Head of Data at Incredible Health from 2024 to 2025, Director of Data at Grow Therapy from 2023 to 2024 and Senior Manager, Data Science & Analytics at Uber from 2017 to 2023.
Varun Vashishtha
LinkedInExperience: Director Data Science · Instacart
Varun Vashishtha has been Director Data Science at Instacart since January 2026, as data science lead for Enterprise Services and platform. Varun Vashishtha was Head of Product Data Science at Cruise from 2021 to 2025 and Head of Data Science @UberTransit @Uber4Business at Uber from 2019 to 2021.
Venkat Devireddy
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Data Science · Instacart
Venkat Devireddy has been Senior Director, Data Science at Instacart since August 2024. Venkat Devireddy was Director, Head of Data Science at Cruise from 2020 to 2024, Head of Data Science, Driver and Fleet Tech at Lyft from 2018 to 2020 and Senior Director, Data Science and Analytics at eBay from 2009 to 2018.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, such as AI for Caper and connected stores, machine learning for ads, pricing and recommendations, or data science for shopping and enterprise services, to the decision you face. Check when each person's current role started to judge how recent their view of the work is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you decide which marketplace problems get a machine learning model first?
- 02What has worked for you in pairing data scientists and machine learning engineers with product teams?
- 03How do you measure whether an AI or data science effort changed a customer, retailer or advertiser result?
Reaching Instacart AI and data science leaders
How can I contact one of these Instacart AI and data science leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Instacart, based on profile data retrieved on October 26, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Instacart AI and data science leaders?
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Can an AI agent ask one of these Instacart AI and data science leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.