I'm an applied microeconomist working in the fields of microeconomic development, social economics, and behavioral economics. My work is driven by an interest in vulnerability, resilience, and behavioral responses to risk among the poor. While financial services and social networks provide coping strategies, they may also induce risks of their own. To study these risks, I draw upon a variety of methods and data sources, including randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations, behavioral lab experiments, digital trace data, and social network survey data. Some of my work also seeks to make practical contributions to applied econometric approaches using machine learning and simulation methods.
I hold an M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural & Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis and a Bachelor's in both Economics and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. My dissertation studied the role of social networks in resilience to risk in low- and middle-income countries. Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Consumer Protection Initiative at Innovations for Poverty Action. This role focused on using digital finance transaction data to improve consumer protection supervision. I am currently employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Center for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania, where my work focuses on the social and psychological dimensions of poverty in the United States.
