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
developing English curriculum for middle school students. She
holds a Ph.D. in School Organization and Education 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Justin Luu, PhD Student, School of
Education 
Justin is a first-year Ph.D. student studying Education with an
emphasis in School Organization and Education Policy. 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 urban education and school choice. He holds a
bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Education from the
University of California, Davis.
Mayra Nunez Martinez, PhD Student, School of
Education
Mayra is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student studying Education with an
emphasis in School Organization and Education policy at UC Davis.
Her research interests focus on examining the educational
inequities impacting college access, retention and completion for
Latinx/a/o 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.
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.
CJ Merritt, PhD Student, Department of
Economics
CJ Merritt is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at
University of California, Davis. CJ’s research interests
include the economics of education, labor economics, and
econometric methods/theory. CJ’s recent research
questions include the evaluation of innovations in pedagogy,
curriculum, and academic information technology
systems. Prior to enrolling as a graduate student
at Davis, CJ served as a field economist for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics working on the Occupational Requirements
Survey. CJ holds a master’s degree in Economics from the
University of Edinburgh and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematical
Business Economics from Hofstra University.
Che Sun, PhD Student, Department of
Economics 
Che is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics. His
research interests include a variety of topics within economics
of education and labor economics, including childhood poverty,
school and residential segregation, discrimination, peer effects
in education, and policies to improve equitable access and
quality of public education. Che’s current research focuses on
studying discrimination in an education context and how it’s
shaped by cognitive biases, as well as effective interventions to
combat these biases and reduce discrimination. Che holds a
bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from the State
University of New York at Binghamton.
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.
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.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
2020-2021 Academic Year
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
Alumni
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