Dylan Baker is a Predoctoral Research Professional working in the Becker Friedman Institute’s Health Economics Initiative. He works under Professor Joshua Gottlieb on projects related to health economics, including topics such as healthcare labor markets. He earned his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kentucky in economics, political science, psychology, and history.

Marion Carr is a Predoctoral Research Professional at the Becker Friedman Institute working with Chang-Tai Hsieh and Marianne Bertrand. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 2022 with an honors major in Economics and an honors minor in Philosophy.

Michelle Cherian is Predoctoral research professional at DIL. In her current position, she will be supporting lead researcher Akito Kamei and professor Elisa M. Maffioli on a scaled-up chlorine coupon program in Kenya, while also supporting efforts to study the feasibility of setting up similar programs in India and Nigeria. She has previously worked as a data research assistant on gender-related projects at Oxford University as well as a policy consultant in the education space at the OECD. She has also led a large-scale RCT in Punjab and Haryana in India as a research associate at J-PAL SA, supervising implementation-monitoring, managing field teams, and working on survey design, data collection and analysis. Michelle completed her master’s degree in Economics and Public policy from the Paris School of Economics and her bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

Contact: cherianm@uchicago.edu

Gaia is working as a predoctoral researcher with professors Rachel Glennerster and Anne Karing on a project related to vaccination in Sierra Leone. She earned her bachelor at Bocconi University in Economics and Business and a Double Degree from Bocconi University and SciencesPo in Economics and Business and International Economic Policy. Before joining BFI, she worked in Bangladesh as a Research Coordinator with BRAC on an RCT aiming to reduce Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). She also worked at Bocconi University in Italy on education, specifically on how to mitigate the learning loss caused by the pandemic. Her research interests lie at the intersection between behavioral, development economics and public policy. In her free time, Gaia likes photography and gardening.

Born in Canada, I grew up in the GTA but I have close ties to Tobago where my family is from. My interest in economics, particularly welfare economics, stems from my upbringing and my wanting to understand how we can improve people’s quality of life beyond improving just their incomes. Currently, I am working on investigating trends in the labour market with Professor Thibaut Lamadon.

Contact: kgovernor@uchicago.edu

Hongchang Guo is a Research Professional at the Becker Friedman Institute, working with Professor Azeem Shaikh and Professor Max Tabord-Meehan on research projects related to econometric theory, including topics such as experimental design and policy learning. Hongchang holds an M.A. in Economics from Duke University, B.A. in Economics (Mathematical Economics and Mathematical Finance) from Central University of Finance and Economics.

Maximilian Hippold received a BS in Economics from the Ludwig-Maximilians -Universität in Munich in 2021. During his undergraduate degree he worked as a RA for Prof. Florian Englmaier at the chair of Organizational Economics. He joined Prof. John List’s team for the Chicago Experiments Initiative after spending the previous year enrolled in the MS in Economics at the London School of Economics in 2022. His research interests span various applications of microeconomics with particular focus on education, behavioral economics, political economy and development economics.

Sharad Hotha is a Research Professional at DIL, assisting in providing research products for the Global Educational Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP). After graduating in Computer Science and Economics from BITS-Pilani, Sharad worked briefly in Market Risk Management at Credit Suisse. His most recent role was that of a Research Associate at the Indian School of Business, where he worked on research projects in finance and banking. Sharad’s research interests lie broadly in microeconomics. He’s specifically passionate about research questions relating to inequality, education, and political economy.

Chun Hei Hung is a Predoctoral Research Professional in the Macro Finance Research (MFR) Program. His research interests lie in macroeconomics and political economy. Chun Hei holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford. Before joining MFR, he worked in the management consulting industry.

Reigner Kane is a Predoctoral Research Professional working under Profs. Esteban Rossi-Hansberg and Felix Tintelnot on projects involving international trade and economic geography. Reigner’s research interests lie at the intersection of spatial and environmental economics and applied econometrics. They have received a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a M.A. in Social Sciences with a concentration in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Uditi Karna is a Predoctoral Research Professional in the Chicago Experiments Initiative led by Professor John List. She currently assists on field experimental projects testing the effects of educational interventions over time, as well as the efficacy of cognitive and non-cognitive treatments on skill formation in Chicago middle school students. Her interest in experimental economics grew as she conducted her own research on systemic discrimination in South Asia, while simultaneously working and developing her skills as an undergraduate RA on List’s team. She has particular interest in persistent inequality, human capital development, and disparities in economic opportunity. Uditi received her B.A. in Economics with a specialization in Data Science and a minor in Statistics from the University of Chicago in 2020.

Marcus Lim is a Predoctoral Research Professional at the Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets working with Professor Magne Mogstad on projects related to the study of labor markets. Marcus is interested in labor economics, especially on how labor markets are shaped. Marcus holds an M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia and a B.A. in Economics from the National University of Singapore.

I am interested in working at the intersection of urban, environmental, and development economics. I believe EPIC  is the perfect environment where I can examine, in an empirical manner, the unique problems that we face in the 21st century. Here, I can explore my academic interests and find a supportive, close-knitted community of individuals to learn from and grow together. Outside of economics, I enjoy Renaissance history, architecture, and musicals.

Selene Cueva Madrid is a Research Professional at DIL working on the scaling-up of a chlorine voucher program in Kenya. She previously worked at J-PAL LAC in the evaluation of multiple programs of labor markets, disabilities, education and gender in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to this, she worked as a research assistant at the Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE) in Peru. Selene holds a master’s degree in Economics from Boston University.

Contact: cueva@uchicago.edu

Purushottam Mohanty is a Becker Friedman Institute Pre-Doctoral Research Professional working under Professor Oeindrila Dube on a variety of topics in the space of political economy. He is interested in pursuing research in the field of development economics and political economy. Previously, he worked as a Senior Data Associate at Good Business Lab. Purushottam earned his MS in Economics from the Paris School of Economics and BA in Economics from the University of Delhi.

I am originally from Michigan, and was first motivated to engage with environmental issues by the various forms of chemical and industrial water degradation occurring in my home state. At Swarthmore, I was able to use economic tools to study interventions intended to limit water use in drought-prone areas, the political impacts of wildfire exposure, and a variety of other topics that deepened my interest in these areas and gave me a sharper appreciation of their human impacts.

Shashank is a Predoctoral Research Professional at DIL. At DIL, he works on economics of education and assists in research projects associated with the Global Educational Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP). Prior to joining DIL, Shashank interned at the Good Business Lab working on evaluating interventions in labor well-being and productivity. His interests include development policy, political economy of development, and governance. Shashank completed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, India.

Haomin Qin is a Predoctoral Research Professional in the Macro Finance Research (MFR) Program at the Becker Friedman Institute, working with Professor Lars Hansen on research projects related to macroeconomic modeling and asset pricing. Haomin holds an M.A. in Social Science with a concentration in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Lina M. Ramirez is a Predoctoral Research Professional on the Chicago Experiments Initiative under the leadership of professor John List. She has worked on projects related to the Joint Initiative for Latin American Experiments (JILAEE) in partnership with the University of CEMA in Argentina, as well as projects related to the science of doing science. Lina became interested in experimental economics after designing and implementing economic experiments as a research assistant at the Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia), where she obtained her MA and BA in Economics with a minor in Law. Lina’s research interests lie at the intersection of development, political economy, and behavioral economics.

Becky Scurlock is a Research Professional at DIL. She recently completed her studies at the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Economics, a B.S. in Statistics, and a M.S. in Statistics. Her current work focuses on education and Bayesian statistics, though she is also interested in political economy. Before coming to DIL, Becky worked with Dr. Ishan Nath at the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) and Professor Oeindrila Dube at the Harris School of Public Policy.

Contact: rscurlock@uchicago.edu

Rathan Sudheer is a Research Professional at DIL. He is currently working to support the agriculture projects in Kenya. He previously worked with EPIC India as a Senior Research Associate for three years where he supported multiple research projects at the intersection of energy and climate change. Rathan holds a masters degree in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, India.

Contact: rsudheer@uchicago.edu

Sara Restrepo Tamayo holds an MPP and MA in Economics from Universidad del Rosario, from Bogotá, Colombia. She has previously worked at the InterAmerican Development Bank, Innovations for Poverty Action, and the Central Bank of Colombia. She has worked on RCTs looking to reduce the gap in STEM between K-12 girls and boys, the RECOVR project, and measuring the impact of VAT devolution to the poorest in expenditure outcomes.

Santiago Velasquez is a Research Professional at DIL in educational research projects in South America and Africa. Prior to coming to Chicago, Santiago worked as a Research Assistant for UC Berkeley Ph.D. Student Arlen Guarin and UCLA Professor Juliana Londoño-Velez assessing the impact of the Colombian reparation program for victims of the armed conflict. He has also previously worked as RA for Professor Jorge Tamayo and as an intern in the Colombian Central Bank. Santiago is completing his master’s degree at EAFIT University in Colombia and holds a bachelor’s in Economics from the same institution.

Contact: svelasquez1@uchicago.edu

Arnstein Vestre is a Predoctoral Research Professional for Prof. Magne Mogstad on the Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets, assisting with projects in labor economics, such as analyzing the pass-through of economic shocks on workers and firm owners, and the effects of unionization and education. In addition to labor economics, he is interested in the the analysis of income and wealth inequality. Arnstein graduated from the University of Oslo, with a bachelor degree in Mathematics and Economics with specialization in economic analysis.

Mengdi Zhang is a Predoctoral Research Professional at BFI-China under the supervision of Professor Zhiguo He, working on projects related to Chinese political economy and finance. She holds a MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (Economics) from Columbia University and a BS double majored in Computer Science and Quantitative Social Analysis from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.