Michal Kurlaender, Faculty Director, Professor, School of Education
Michal Kurlaender investigates students’ educational pathways, in particular K-12 and postsecondary alignment, and access to and success in postsecondary schooling. She has expertise on alternative pathways to college and college readiness at both community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. In addition to working with national data, Kurlaender works closely with administrative data from all three of California’s public higher education sectors–the University of California, the California State University and the California Community College systems. Read more about Michal Kurlaender.

Scott Carrell, Faculty Co-Director, Professor, Department of Economics
Scott Carrell is a Professor of Economics and the Faculty Athletics Representative at the University of California, Davis. His primary area of research is in the economics of education. Professor Carrell is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Research Fellow at Institute for the Study of Labor, and a Co-Editor for the Journal of Human Resources. He spent 10 years as an active duty officer in the U.S. Air Force, retiring from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2015. Read more about Scott Carrell.

Paco Martorell, Faculty Co-Director, Associate Professor, School of Education
Francisco (Paco) Martorell joined the School of Education as an assistant professor in July 2014. He has broad research interests in both higher education and K-12 policy. Recent studies include analyses of developmental education in college, the returns to educational credentials, and the impacts of school facility investments. Current projects include an examination of parental preferences for schools, financial aid in community college, the impacts of college readiness signals, and the long-run effects of school quality. Read more about Paco Martorell.

Sherrie Reed, Executive Director
Sherrie Reed is Executive Director at the California Education Lab. In this role, she directs research and administrative activities of several federal and foundation grants aimed at improving the educational experiences and outcomes of California’s youth.  Prior to joining the California Education Lab, Sherrie served as the Director of Research for New Tech Network and worked in K-12 education as a special education teacher, school administrator and charter school developer for more than 20 years.  Sherrie has a Ph.D. in School Organization and Education Policy from University of California Davis. Drawing on her history as a school practitioner and charter school developer, Sherrie’s doctoral research focused on efforts in school reform. More recently, her research efforts have focused on school truancy, high school graduation requirements, and college outcomes. Read more about Sherrie Reed.

Kramer Cohen, Research Fellow 
Kramer Cohen is a postdoctoral researcher at the California Education Lab. Kramer received her Ph.D. in economics in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include the economics of education and labor economics, with a particular interest in college readiness, educational effectiveness, and the effect of educational systems on historically underrepresented students. Prior to attending UC Davis, Kramer was a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California and taught at San Francisco State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Economics from San Francisco State University.

Alexandria Hurtt, Research Fellow 
Alexandria Hurtt is a Research Fellow at the California Education Lab at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include college access and readiness, examining the role of school inputs on students’ trajectories. Prior to her role at the Lab, she worked at a charter school in New Jersey helping to develop English curriculum for middle school students. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy and a master’s degree in Education from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The College of New Jersey.

Elizabeth Zeiger Friedmann, Research Fellow 
Betsey Friedmann is a Research Fellow at the California Education Lab and Wheelhouse Center. She received her Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on issues related to college access and success, including financial aid and transfer pathways from community colleges. In addition to her work at University of California, Davis, Betsey also lectures at California State University, East Bay.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in Education from California State University, East Bay.

Kairo Weber, Administrative Assistant
Kairo Weber is the Administrative Assistant for the California Education Lab and Wheelhouse. He assists with research and administrative activities across the two centers. Before working for the School of Education, Kairo worked as a peer advisor for the UC Davis sociology department. He is a qualitative researcher with experience doing in-depth interviews and data coding. He completed an undergraduate thesis titled “Gender Confirmation Work, Rest, and Symbolic Boundaries in (Trans)Gender Support Groups” in his areas of expertise, gender and social movements, and won a departmental award for his work. Kairo holds a B.A. degree in sociology and a minor in human rights from University of California, Davis and graduated summa cum laude.

Graduate Student Researchers

Emily Alonso, PhD Student, School of Education
Emily Alonso is a second year Ph.D. student in Education with a concentration in School Organization and Educational Policy. Her research interests primarily focus on community college education and include issues surrounding access to meaningful work-based learning opportunities, online learning, and equity. Emily brings nearly a decade of experience working closely with nonprofit organizations in the education and workforce development space across the state. Emily earned a Master’s in Public Administration from University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s of Science in Community and Regional Development from University of California, Davis, after transferring from community college.

Jill Huynh, PhD Student, School of Education
Jill Huynh is a Ph.D. student in School Organization & Educational Policy. Building on a decade of professional experience at colleges and universities, Jill’s research questions revolve around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Jill obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Washington and earned her EdM in Higher Education at Harvard University.

Justin Luu, PhD Student, School of Education 
Justin is a fourth-year Ph.D. student studying Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy. His current research involves evaluating policy that aims to improve college readiness and access. Prior to joining the California Education Lab, he worked as a quantitative research analyst with the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) based at Stanford University. There, his research focused on evaluating charter schools and measuring school quality overall. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Education from the University of California, Davis. 

Mayra Nunez Martinez, PhD Student, School of Education
Mayra is a fourth-year Ph.D. student studying Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy at UC Davis. Her research interests focus on examining the educational inequities impacting college access, retention, and completion for Latina/o/x students in rural areas. Mayra previously worked as a high school biology teacher and college access advisor in California’s South San Joaquin Valley. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania.

Cassandra Merritt, PhD Student, Department of Economics 
Cassandra Merritt is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at University of California, Davis. Her research interests include the economics of education, labor economics, and econometric methods. Her recent research questions include the evaluation of innovations in secondary math education and college advising. Prior to enrolling as a graduate student at Davis, Cassandra served as a field economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Business Economics from Hofstra University.

Christina Sun, PhD Student, Department of Economics 
Christina Sun is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics at UC Davis. Christina’s research covers applied microeconomics and behavioral economics. More specifically, she works in the economics of education, discrimination and stereotyping, and belief formation and updating within those contexts. Some of her current projects study the peer effects of immigrant students on the long-run outcomes of U.S.-born students and the impact of gender stereotypes on belief updating. Christina holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Silvia Tovar, PhD Student, School of Education 
Silvia is a Ph.D. student in the School of Education at UC Davis with an emphasis on School Organization and Educational Policy. She has spent 30 years as an educator, serving children in various roles as a teacher, reading specialist, program facilitator, assistant principal, and principal. Silvia’s experiences encompass grades K-12, which include being the founding principal of one of the first STEM high schools in the state. She is a credentialed bilingual teacher and holds a clear administrative credential in California.

Jaime Ramirez-Mendoza, PhD Student, School Organization & Educational Policy 
Jaime Ramirez-Mendoza (he/him/él) is a second-year Ph.D. student at UC Davis studying School Organization and Educational Policy. His personal experience navigating the education system as a first-generation, low-income, bilingual Latino sparked his research interest in centering racial equity to analyze college affordability, access, and success for historically excluded populations, and bridge said research to policy. Previously, Jaime worked to advance racial equity policies in college affordability as a Policy Analyst at The Education Trust, and has experience providing holistic advising to students via Upward Bound, the Educational Opportunity Program, and Destination College Advising Corps. A native of Smith River, CA, Jaime holds a master’s degree in Higher Education from Harvard and a bachelor’s degree in Chicanx Studies and Managerial Economics from UC Davis.

Teresita Martinez PhD Student, School Organization & Educational Policy 
Teresita Martinez is a first-year Ph.D. student in the School Organization and Educational Policy program. Teresita is committed to interrogating funding structures and systems in local and state governments that result in persistent underinvestment of marginalized communities. Prior to attending UC Davis, Teresita worked with the Community College Research Center (CCRC) and served as a fellow at HCM Strategists and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). She holds a MA in Economics and Education with an emphasis in Education Policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, a BA in economics and a minor in education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Policy and Government from Sacramento State.  

Alumni and Affiliated Researchers

Sara Adan, Research Consultant
Sara Adan is a research consultant who works with community colleges and non-profit organizations, such as the Foundation for California Community Colleges, California Competes, and The Century Foundation. Her research focuses on postsecondary education examining issues on college affordability, student success, metric construction, and equity. Previously, Sara was a researcher for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the Education Insights Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis, a master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Sacramento State University, and a bachelor’s of science in Applied Psychology from New York University.

Minahil Asim, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto
Minahil Asim is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She studies education reforms and policies that are focused on improving learning outcomes and educational trajectories for disadvantaged students. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of California, Davis. She also holds a master’s degree in International Comparative Education (ICE) from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Briana Ballis, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California Merced
Briana Ballis is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of California Merced. Her interest is economics of education. Specifically, she studies the long-run impacts of special education placement and how peers influence educational investments. She has also worked as a research analyst at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) working on projects related to Medicare and Medicaid. Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Davis, she holds a master’s degree in Economics and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Relations from Boston University.

Claudia Escobar, Associate Director of Learning and Research, Wheelhouse UC Davis
Claudia Escobar is a research fellow at Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research. She served as a graduate student researcher with the California Education Lab and UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a former researcher and policy analyst for the UC Office of the President. Claudia received her Ph.D. in School Organization and Education Policy at the UC Davis School of Education in 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from Claremont McKenna Collee and a Masters of Public Policy from University of Chicago. She is the first in her family to obtain a bachelor’s and master’s degree and now a doctorate. 

Michel Grosz, PhD, Senior Analyst, Abt Associates
Michel Grosz is a Senior Analyst at Abt Associates in Rockville, Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 2017 from the University of California, Davis. Michel is a labor economist whose research primarily focuses on community colleges and career-technical education. Previously, Michel worked as a research associate at the Urban Institute in Washington D.C. and earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Pomona College.
 

Cassandra Hart, Associate Professor, UC Davis School of Education
Dr. Hart is an associate professor of education policy. She evaluates the effects of school, state and national education programs, policies, and practices on overall student achievement, and on the equality of student outcomes. Hart’s work has focused on online education in both K-12 schools and community colleges, school choice programs, school accountability policies, and effects on students of exposure to demographically similar teachers.  She received her PhD from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University in 2011.

Jacob Jackson, PhD, Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
Jacob Jackson is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California in the Higher Education Center. His research work includes college access, college outcomes, and higher education finance. He earned a Ph.D. in Education from University of California, Davis. Before his career in research Jacob was a middle school and high school mathematics teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degrees in secondary education and mathematics, as well as his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, from the University of Missouri. 

Kelsey Krausen, PhD, Senior Research Associate, West Ed
Kelsey Krausen is a Senior Research Associate at WestEd. Kelsey is an education policy researcher with expertise in accountability systems, school finance, education leadership, continuous improvement and systems reform. She has worked on a range of research projects including statewide research for Senator Kamala D. Harris on truancy and chronic absence in California’s elementary schools, an evaluation of district systems transformation led by Dr. Michael Fullan, and research on the implementation of California’s new local accountability policy by county and district leaders. Previously, she worked as the Assistant Director of Policy at the National Writing Project and taught college writing at San Quentin Prison. Kelsey has a Ph.D. in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis, a master’s degree in Public Administration from San Francisco State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Literature from the University of California, San Diego. 

Robbie Linden, Research Fellow, Wheelhouse UC Davis 
Robbie Linden is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Education with a concentration in School Organization and Educational Policy. His research interests include education economics and higher education finance. In his current research with the California Education Lab and Wheelhouse Center, he describes how funding outcomes in community college districts were affected by the state’s recently adopted Student-Centered Funding Formula. Robbie holds a master’s in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Davis and a bachelor’s in public policy from the University of Michigan.

Lester Lusher, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Lester Lusher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Public Policy School at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Lester’s research centers around a broad array of topics in education, including understanding the importance of monetary incentives, commitment devices, teaching assistants, and sleep cycles on student achievement. Lester’s studies leverage both natural and experimental variation. His work has received support from several external foundations, including the Russell Sage Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) North America. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics in June 2017 from the University of California, Davis. He also holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and a bachelor’s degree in Statistics, from University of California, Davis.

Matt Naven, PhD, Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee University 
Matt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Washington and Lee University. His primary research interests are public economics, labor economics, and the economics of education. His research focuses on the effects of institutions, public policies, and external forces on student outcomes, with particular interest in increasing college access for low-income students. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Davis, Matt grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and completed bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Spanish at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Carolina Ramirez, PhD, Qualitative Researcher, The Education Trust
Carolina is a Qualitative Researcher at The Education Trust. Her research interests are post-secondary persistence among underrepresented students, where she examines the experiences of undergraduates at broad-access four-year universities and is also interested in undergraduate mobility and how transfer pathways impact persistence. Carolina worked as a community organizer in New York City. Prior to earning her Ph.D. with a concentration in School Organization and Educational Policy at the University of California, Davis, Carolina earned a master’s degree in Education Leadership: Policy and Advocacy from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Economic Theory from University of California, Berkeley.

Anna Marie Ramos, Senior Associate, Social Policy Research Associates (SPR)
Anna Marie is a Senior Associate at Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), where she contributes to equity-focused evaluations of education- and community-based programs. Prior to joining SPR, her research explored a variety of college access policies in California, inclusive of how basic needs challenges and related institutional resources influence students’ educational trajectories. Anna Marie previously worked at MDRC, the Campaign for College Opportunity, and the American Council on Education. She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree from UC Davis, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco.

Derek Rury, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Chicago 
Derek Rury is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Derek’s work focuses on the economics of education, particularly how students’ and parents’ beliefs influence their educational decisions and outcomes. He also studies the labor market consequences of those decisions as well as how educational institutions shape the way students think and behave. Derek completed his PhD in economics at the University of California at Davis in 2021.

Juliet Wahleithner, PhD, Assistant Professor, Fresno State University
Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner is an Assistant Professor in the Literacy, Early, Bilingual, and Special Education Department at Fresno State University where she teaches courses focused on literacy and writing instruction. She also serves as the co-director of the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, the local site of the National Writing Project, and is an affiliate faculty member of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at Fresno State. Juliet’s research focuses on the teaching and learning of literacy in secondary schools and teacher development for teaching English Language Arts at the secondary level. Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Education from University of California, Davis, Juliet taught high school English and journalism and served as a district level instructional coach in Lodi Unified.

Jackson Yan, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas, Austin 
Jackson is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas, Austin. He received his Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis. His research interests are focused on community college students and their transfer pathways to a four-year college. Jackson has previously taught English composition as an adjunct faculty member at Foothill-De Anza and Skyline Community Colleges. He holds a master’s degree in English from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis.

Ambar Hernandez Negrete, PhD Student, School of Education
Ambar is a second-year Ph.D. student in the School of Education at University of California, Davis with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy. Her research interests include examining the ways in which race-conscious and race-neutral policies hinder, or facilitate. the educational attainment of historically underrepresented students. Ambar was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and migrated to California with her family at the age of seven.  Ambar previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Development from University of California, Davis.

Alice Li, PhD Student, Department of Economics
Alice is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include education topics generally. In particular, her current focus is on financial aid for students and how access, or lack thereof, affects educational outcomes. Previously, Alice worked at an economic consulting firm for two years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Virginia.

Joanna Mathias, PhD Student, School of Education
Joanna is a Ph.D. student in Education at the University of California, Davis with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy. Joanna’s research focuses on the measurement of socioeconomic status and the income achievement gap in higher education, especially in STEM fields. Joanna received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and her master’s degree in Economics from North Carolina State University while working professionally at a financial consulting firm.

Iwunze Ugo, PhD Student, Department of Economics 
Iwunze Ugo is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics. His research interests include educational funding and outcomes both at the K-12 level and in higher education as well as local government public finance. Previously, Iwunze was a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he worked on a variety of projects related to educational funding and academic achievement for high-need student groups. Iwunze holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Oliver Hannaoui, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Class of 2022 
Oliver is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying economics and statistics in the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Davis. His research currently focuses on analyzing the Associate Degree for Transfer and its causal effect on educational attainment and efficiency. Prior to joining the California Education Lab, he worked as a research analyst at the Sacramento Economic Council and as a data science intern at Infosys. After finishing his bachelor’s degree at UC Davis he has aspirations of pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics. 

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Alumni

Nayeli Figueroa, Psychology, Minor in Human Development and Education, Class of 2022

Erin Olafsson-Goldberg, Psychology, Minor in Education, Class of 2022

Erick Lopez, Political Science – Public Service, Class of 2021

Maggie Garzon Trujillo, History, Class of 2021

Keely Johnson, Psychology, Class of 2021

Okuny Awow, Molecular and Medical Microbiology, Class of 2023

Jamaih Belk, Chemical Engineering, Class of 2023

Zeke Spooner, Environmental Toxicology, Class of 2023

Nicole Lei, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, Class of 2022

Jose Samano Catalan, Psychology, Class of 2022

Carlos Rendon, Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, Class of 2022

Madison Ganas, Political Science and International Relations, Class of 2021

Sarika Robinson, Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, Minor in Education, Class of 2021

Lorena Diaz, Psychology, Class of 2021

Natalie Ken, Economics, Minor in Political Science and Technology Management, Class of 2021

Jennie Read, History, Class of 2021

David Railton Garrett, Biological Psychology, Class of 2021

Diyana Khurana, Mathematical Analytics & Operations Research and Economics, Class of 2021

Anna Verdiguel Gillet, Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity, Minor in Education, Class of 2020

Vincent Fateh, Biomedical Engineering, Minor in Technology Management, Class of 2020

Aydin Schwartz, Economics, Class of 2020

David Correa, Class of 2019

Kristen Cui, Class of 2019

Joseph Melkonian, Class of 2019

Grace Beattie, Managerial Economics, Class of 2018

Madeline Garcia, Political Science, Class of 2017         

Victoria Gutierrez, Psychology, Class of 2017  

Sophie Mcguinness, Economics, Class of 2017