Graduate Fellows
Carlos Angeles
IES Fellow
Background
Carlos is a doctoral student in The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He graduated from New York University with an M.A. in Education and received his B.A. from Marquette University in English Literature and Political Science. Carlos served as an educator and administrator for ten years in Chicago and in New York City and has extensive teaching experience having taught middle school, high school, and college courses and served as an Academic Dean at various schools. Additionally, he has assisted in conducting systematic research around teacher led social movements and the efficacy of NYC Department of Education teacher preparation programs. Prior to teaching, Carlos worked in the non-profit and government sector.
Research
Carlos’s research interests include urban education, Pre-K-12 education reform, the politics of the teaching profession, sociology of education, and mixed and comparative methods. Currently, Carlos is investigating policies and practices that address educational inequality for students of color, immigrant, and Latinx students.
Ari Anisfeld
COE Fellow
Background
Ari is a Ph.D. candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy where he previously earned a master’s degree in Computer Science and Public Policy (CAPP). Prior to graduate school, he taught middle school math in Thoreau, New Mexico. He holds a master’s in education from the University of New Mexico and has a B.A. in history from Grinnell College.
Research
Ari is interested in structural inequality as it relates to education and other social policy. He is currently researching the causes and effects of the decline in corporal punishment in schools in the United States since 1970 (as well as it’s persistence). He is also interested in fairness and machine learning and has worked on a tool that help practitioners test their algorithms for different types of bias.
Nathan Ausubel
IES Fellow
Background
Nathan Ausubel is a PhD student at the Harris School of Public Policy. Previously, he received a BA in Mathematical Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He then worked for three years as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
Research
Nathan is interested in studying the neighborhood-level effects of operational decisions made by public school systems. He is particularly focused on the effects of school boundary changes, changes to open enrollment policies, and school closures. Outcome variables of interest include the shares of eligible students enrolled in public schools, housing prices, crime rates, voting behaviors, and levels of migration.
Uma Blanchard
COE Fellow
Background
Uma is a doctoral student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She graduated in 2017 with a B.A. in Anthropology from Bowdoin College. Uma has worked with young people in a variety of settings, ranging from outdoor experiential education to school-based academic and executive skill coaching.
Research
Uma’s research interests center on narratives of teenage distress. She is interested in how educational and youth development practitioners make sense of and categorize experiences, whether as mental health or otherwise, and how race and gender shape narratives surrounding distress.
Jenny Bo
COE Fellow
Background
Jenny is a doctoral student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She received her B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Marketing from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2021. She completed an M.A. in Social Sciences (Psychology) from the University of Chicago in 2022, where she also worked as an Instructional Assistant before pursuing doctoral studies.
Research
Jenny is broadly interested in understanding how higher education, together with social and cultural contexts, can influence students’ life trajectories and outcomes. Specifically, she is interested in the phenomenon of double and triple majors, especially between liberal arts and STEM fields, and what such “selection” means for the individual and their envisioned possibilities. She is also interested in the international student population and in understanding how globalization and transnationality influence the pursuit and expansion (or lack thereof) of cosmopolitan identity and imagination among such groups of students.
Jacob Butts
COE Fellow
Background
Jake is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Dr. Susan Levine. He graduated from Williams College in 2014 with honors and a B.A. in Psychology. Jake then spent several years working in education in Singapore before returning to psychological research. Prior to starting graduate school, Jake served as a research assistant and lab manager in the Cognitive Development Lab at the University of Chicago.
Research
Jake’s research focuses on conceptual development in children, with a focus on mathematical symbols and notations. Specifically, he is interested in how linguistic input and spatial representations impact children’s understanding of mathematical concepts. Through this research, Jake hopes to better understand the basic cognitive processes that drive learning and identify mechanisms to close achievement gaps in mathematics.
Dania Carr
IES Fellow
Background
Dania is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Dr. Susan Levine. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Education. Prior to graduate school, Dania worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Development Lab at the University of Chicago.
Research
Dania’s research explores mathematical learning through a developmental lens. Specifically, she is interested in investigating the impact that different socio-emotional, cognitive, and linguistic factors have on children’s mathematical understanding. Through her research, Dania hopes to be able to inform evidence-based interventions that work to promote mathematical achievement for all students.
Della Cox
IES Fellow
Background
Della is a PhD student in the Sociology department at the University of Chicago. She received her BA in Sociology and BS in Statistics at the University of Missouri in 2022. As an undergraduate, her research focused on media portrayal of minority groups. While the impact of mainstream media’s stereotypical portrayals of Black and Latinx individuals on White consumers has been well-researched, her research group focuses on the rarely-studied impact of minority-focused news media—how Black-oriented and Latinx-oriented news media portray minority groups and its effects on racial esteem as a locus of empowerment for Black and Latinx consumers.
Research
Della is interested in how stereotypes play a role in perceived contribution and competence of women and minorities in the college classroom, STEM student outcomes, and positive, strength-based approaches for student retention.
Peyton Cunningham
IES Fellow
Background
Peyton is a Ph.D. candidate in the Sociology department at the University of Chicago. She received her BA in Sociology at Princeton University in 2020. After college, Peyton worked to increase the quality of after school programming for K-5th graders in Central Texas as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Andy Roddick Foundation.
Research
Peyton in interested in understanding the visible and invisible pathways available to students in higher education institutions as they move through their educational career; to examine the sense of belonging students have in their lives; and to explore how students from systemically underrepresented backgrounds find and assert dignity in academic institutions.
Tania Dhaliwal
COE Fellow
Background
Tania is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Dr. Susan Levine and Dr. Katherine Kinzler. She graduated from Stanford University in 2020 with a B.S. in Symbolic Systems and a minor in Data Science. As an undergraduate student, she conducted research on heathy-eating mindsets in adults and on cross-cultural development of causal relational reasoning. After graduating, Tania worked as a research associate for Carnegie Mellon University’s Cognitive Development Lab, and as a lab manager for University of Michigan’s Conceptual Development Lab. In these positions, she investigated associative and taxonomic priming effects on the development of word learning, perception and use of generic language, and children’s causal understanding of viral transmission.
Research
Tania is broadly interested in language and concept learning, and how it unfolds in diverse environments. Specifically, she is interested in investigating a) how the development of quantitative reasoning and number word learning is affected by different cognitive, linguistic and sociocultural factors, and b) how language and quantitative reasoning affects people’s social skills such as negotiation.
Alison Doxey
IES Fellow
Background
Alison Doxey is a PhD student in the Harris School of Public Policy. Before graduate school, she received a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University and worked as a research professional at UChicago’s Booth School of Business. She has primarily worked on economic research using historical data from the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s; for example, one of her projects examined the effect of increased college access on educational attainment and income later in life (as measured in 1940). Alison is broadly interested in studying economic mobility, especially the role of early childhood and postsecondary education in promoting equality of opportunity.
Brandon Dull
COE Fellow
Background
Brandon is a Ph.D. student in Comparative Human Development working with Dr. Onnie Rogers. He recently received his M.S. in Psychology from Northwestern University where he studied the socialization of whiteness during childhood and adolescence.
Research
Brandon is interested in how whiteness shapes human development, schooling, and identity. In his current work, he is exploring how schools embody, reinforce, and challenge whiteness, with particular attention to the implications for youth identity development.
Bethany Elston
IES Fellow
Background
Bethany is a doctoral student at The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She graduated from Crown with an A.M. in social work and is a licensed clinical social worker. Her clinical career focused on training social workers and working with clients living with chronic illness to navigate the health system. Most recently, Bethany was the senior research project coordinator at Northwestern University working on research focused on district organizational learning, and continuity and alignment in PreK-3 math instruction.
Research
Bethany’s research interests include trauma-informed models in education with a focus on the connections between organizational dynamics, district learning for classroom practice, policy implementation, and how different kinds of stakeholder perspectives are incorporated in decision-making in schools in relationship to the growth of these models.
Jennifer Etienne
COE Fellow
Background
Jennifer is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology. Previously,she earned an MA in Sociology and Education at Columbia University, where she researched the racial implications of school choice processes by interviewing students of color navigating public and elite, private high school admissions.
Research
Jennifer’s research interests center on the social contexts of education, race/ethnicity, and stratification. Currently, she uses qualitative research methods to examine the experiences of high school students, specifically students of color, when organizing for racial equity within or outside their schools’ diversity & inclusion frameworks.
Andrew Frangos
COE Fellow
Background
Andrew is a doctoral student in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Previously, Andrew worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a high school math and engineering teacher, an intervention coordinator, and an instructional coach supporting the implementation of equitable grading practices. Andrew also supported student and union organizing to address social justice issues. Andrew holds a B.S. in Systems Science and Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and received a M.A. in Education from Claremont Graduate University with the support of Math for America Los Angeles.
Research
Andrew is interested in studying issues of identity related to race, immigration, and community in the contexts of youth and union organizing, school choice and tracking, school governance structures, and data-driven management practices.
Javiera Gazmuri
COE Fellow
Background
Javiera is a PhD student in the Department of Economics. She graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with a B.A. in Economics and a M.A. in Applied Economics. After graduated, she worked as a Research Associate at JPAL Latin America, where she conducted research to analyze school choice policies around the world.
Research
Javiera is interested in explore the long-term effects of school choice systems and their effects on the dynamics within the educational markets. She is also interested in understanding the determinants influencing women’s selection of lower/paying degree programs and their inclination towards service/related fields, compared to men.
Hannah Guo
COE Fellow
Background
Hannah is a doctoral student in the Psychology Department working with Susan Goldin-Meadow and Wilma Bainbridge. She received her B.S. in Cognitive Science and B.A. in Linguistics from UCLA in Spring 2021.
Research
Hannah is broadly interested in how students learn, think, and apply knowledge in novel situations. Currently, she is interested in examining the mechanisms behind gestures that promote STEM learning using brain imaging methods.
Emma Heidorn
IES Fellow
Background
Emma is a doctoral student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She graduated from Crown with an A.M. in Social Work and received her B.A. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Emma has worked as a teacher and clinical social worker in Chicago and the Middle East. She was a 2018-2019 NSEP Boren Fellow in Jordan.
Research
Emma’s research interests include child and adolescent mental health, social and civic identity development, school-based psychosocial services for refugee students, and education in conflict settings.
Alizé Hill
COE Fellow
Background
Alizé is an AM/PhD student in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
Research
Currently, Alizé’s research interests are situated at the intersection of K-12 schools, the criminal justice system, and adultification. Primarily, this has manifested as a desire to examine the within and between school differences of discipline implementation based on factors such as race, gender, school type (public vs private vs charter) and overall school demographics. She is also interested in possible interventions to mitigate youth involvement in the school to prison pipeline such as youth activism, youth attachment styles, and post-suspension supports.
Ebony Hinton
IES Fellow
Background
Ebony is a PhD student in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2012 and received her MS in education from Johns Hopkins University in 2016. During her time as an undergraduate student, she founded and managed the Reach Initiative, a college-preparation organization which offered services free of charge to local urban youths. Her research experiences were further honed during an internship at the University of Virginia – Curry School of Education Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) where she investigated the nuances of teacher-student racial dynamics. After completing her undergraduate studies, Hinton went on to serve as a secondary educator in Miami, Florida.
Research
Ebony’s research interests lie in the social dynamics between schools and local communities; particularly involving issues of trust, mutual investment, and sustained collaboration. She is also interested in understanding schools as organizations and how school-level practices and policy implementation work to meet the social and emotional needs of students. Ebony wants her work to contribute to a better understanding of the role of school contextual factors in policy implementation—especially for reforms relating to school culture, climate and safety. Through her work at the Consortium for Chicago School Research (CCSR), she secured a position on a research team investigating the role of exposure to community violence in Chicago Public Schools.
Daniela Juarez
COE Fellow
Background
Daniela Juarez is a Ph.D. student in the Sociology department at the University of Chicago. She received her BA from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2022. Her undergraduate research focused on how undocumented immigrants utilized online communities to navigate the labor market after graduating from a higher education institution.
Research
Daniela is interested in understanding how higher education institutions support undocumented students; studying the establishment of undocumented student resource centers; and how these different forms of initiatives impact student outcomes.
Caroline Kelly
IES Fellow
Background
Caroline is a PhD student in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She received her BA in Public Policy at the University of Michigan and her AM from the Crown Family School. During her master’s program, she worked as a school social work intern in Chicago Public Schools and conducted independent research on the accessibility of mental health services within Chicago area schools.
Research
Caroline is interested in understanding how low-income children and youth connect to mental health services through school settings. Caroline is currently working on projects related to the mental health crisis response system in Chicago.
Karina Kling
IES Fellow
Background
Karina is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology and IES Fellowship programs working with Dr. Susan Levine. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2021 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Psychology.
Research
Karina’s research centers around the intersection of mathematics, student learning processes, and instructional strategies. Through focused examinations of crucial early mathematics concepts including fractions and probability, combined with contextualization of the learning environment, she aspires to form a deeper understanding of mathematical development and apply findings to inform practical, equitable, and effective teaching practices.
Alex Koenig
COE Fellow
Background
Alex Koenig is a PhD student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. He graduated from Harvard College in 2014 with a degree in Social Studies and a focus on American Public Education. After graduating, Alex served an Americorps fellowship in Boston Public Schools, worked for an education technology startup, and was the Director of Data and Research for Brooke Charter Schools. Most recently, he taught 5th grade in Tulsa, Oklahoma through Teach for America.
Research
Alex’s research interests center around social inequality, school segregation, and intergroup dynamics. He is interested in applying mixed methods to investigate how schools and communities integrate newcomers and whether or not lessons and best practices in this work can be applied across different contexts.
Vanessa Lazaro
IES Fellow
Background
Vanessa is a Developmental Psychology doctoral student working with Dr. Lin Bian. She graduated from Cornell University and received her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Inequality Studies. After graduating, she worked as the lab manager for the Emerging Minds Lab at Arizona State University, where she conducted research on curiosity in infants and young children.Research Interests
Grace Li
COE Fellow
Background
Grace is a PhD student in Computer Science. She graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University with a double major in Computer Science and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She conducted research with Professor Lydia Chilton to develop writing tools to support STEM experts in communicating complex science topics on social media to engage a broader audience. She also worked with Professor Smaranda Muresan to understand the explanation capabilities of Large Language Models in conversational dialogues. Beyond her undergraduate research experiences, Grace co-designed and taught an after-school computer science and computing program for first and second-graders at PS 153. She also served as a Head Speaking Fellow at Barnad’s Writing and Speaking Center, empowering students to explore, question, and reflect on their speaking and listening skills. Research Interests
Grace’s research focuses on exploring the evolving relationship between humans and AI, specifically in the context of education and writing. She is interested in working with educators and students to understand the impacts of evolving technologies on classroom learning and how to support both educators and students navigate the advantages and drawbacks of new technologies.
Michelle Madlansacay
IES Fellow
Background
Michelle is a doctoral student in Developmental Psychology working with Susan Goldin-Meadow. She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, an additional major in Global Studies, and a minor in Arabic Studies from Carnegie Mellon University in 2020. During her time at Carnegie Mellon, Michelle conducted research focused on language education and on the role of second-order correlation learning in infant language development. In 2021, Michelle graduated with an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While at Harvard, Michelle worked as a graduate research assistant for Project Zero’s Global Children Project, where she investigated how young children’s conceptions of geographical space contribute to their development of global competence.
Research
Michelle is interested in identifying through interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research the verbal and nonverbal characteristics of human language that can be considered universal. She hopes that this research can be applied to enhancing the communicative relationships between educators and learners across communities and cultures.
Monica Moore
COE Fellow
Background
Monica is a PhD student in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She received her BS in International and Global Studies from Rochester Institute of Technology and her AM from the Crown Family School. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, Monica worked as an after-school program instructor in Chicago.
Research
Monica is interested in the experiences of Black adolescents and young adults in community-based education spaces. She is interested in understanding how these spaces function as locations of support, as well as the role they play in both interrupting and perpetuating systemic inequality. Monica is currently a part of the Beyond Schools Lab led by Dr. Eve L. Ewing.
Jake Nicoll
IES Fellow
Background
Jake is a PhD student at the Harris School of Public Policy. Prior to graduate school, Jake earned a BS in mathematics and a BA in physics from the University of Chicago. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (CAPP) from Harris.
Research
Jake is interested in tracking and characterizing the dynamics of its effects on educational attainment. He is also interested in the interaction between education and identity development, particularly for younger children. Currently, he is working to quantify statistical biases in children’s literature.
Aida Pacheco-Applegate
IES Fellow
Background
Aida is a PhD Student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. Aida received her B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the Universidad del Pacifico, in Peru, where she also worked as a researcher and instructor. Aida moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Upon graduation from Harris, she worked as a Researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. At Chapin Hall, Aida specialized in evaluating early childhood education and development projects.
Research
Aida’s research interests include investigating how particular policies and programs can best support vulnerable children, promote family and child well-being, and maximize children’s development. More specifically, her research focuses on school-based and early intervention programs targeting children living in economically distressed and Spanish-speaking communities.
Harley Pomper
COE Fellow
Background
Harley is an AM/PhD Student in Social Work. They graduated in 2024 with a joint B.A. in Comparative Human Development and an M.A. in the Social Sciences, specializing in Anthropology.
Research
Harley’s research focuses on the intersection between incarceration, the body, and dissent. They are continuing a community ethnography of disabled solidarity in the jail, with an emphasis on how education and care spark resistance in a landscape of political repression. After facilitating writing workshops with people incarcerated in Cook County Jail, they now organize with people inside and beyond jail walls.
Clarice Robinson
Background
Clarice is an AM/Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Prior to starting her Ph.D., Clarice worked as a educator for five years in a range of areas including teaching preschool aged children in rural Arkansas through Teach for America, teaching English to middle school students in Madrid, Spain, and working inside Rikers Island Correctional Facility as a jail tutor to support the educational goals of incarcerated men and women. She also conducted research on the collateral consequences of probation and parole at the Columbia University Justice Lab. Clarice received her Master’s degree from New York University in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy and a B.S. degree from Texas Woman’s University in Government.
Research
Clarice is interested in disproportionate school discipline practices, police surveillance, and sustained criminalization as a traumatizing mechanism which funnels Black adolescents from schools into jails and prisons. She is particularly interested in the ways schools perpetuate and intercept psychological harm and violence. Clarice hopes her research becomes a tool to further transformational just practices in communities, schools, and the field of social work.
Rohen Shah
COE Fellow
Background
Rohen is a Ph.D. candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy. Prior to graduate school, he taught high school math in Detroit, Michigan, and managed a state-wide tutoring company in Michigan. He is also a co-founder of the educational technology company DiagKNOWstics Learning. He received his bachelor’s degree in math and economics and master’s degree in math education from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago.
Research
Emilia Wenzel (Szmyrgala)
IES Fellow
Background
Emilia Wenzel is a doctoral student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She graduated in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Applied Developmental Psychology from University of California, Los Angeles. Emilia was an educator in Chicago and taught second grade in both Washington Park and Brighton Park neighborhoods. She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Research
Emilia’s research interests center on trauma-informed teaching practices and social emotional learning. In the context of student learning and COVID-19, Emilia is interested in how to support student learning trajectories and teachers in the aftermath of the pandemic. Emilia is also involved in the Getting on Track pre-k assessment system to support teachers in targeting math and language skills to promote kindergarten readiness among young children.
Ashley Uphoff
IES Fellow
Background
Ashley Uphoff is a PhD student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She completed her MA in Social Science with a certificate in Education and Society at the University of Chicago in2020. Previously, she served an Americorps member in Indiana, where she directed a non-violence curriculum with kids ages 3-18.
Research
Ashley’s research interests center around educational inequality, school segregation, and neighborhood effects on students’ long-term outcomes. She is interested in applying mixed methods to explore how adolescents experience school choice in Chicago Public Schools.
Ana Vasan
IES Fellow
Background
Ana Vasan is a PhD student in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She earned her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Studies and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Prior to pursuing a doctoral degree, Ana served in the Peace Corps in Morocco as a Youth Development Specialist worked in education and public health in Chicago.
Research
Ana is interested in children’s experiences of trauma and the ways in which schools interact with and address students who have had traumatic experiences, especially as those interactions may intersect with the racial and gender identities of students and impact students’ relationships with the education system.
Mia Velazquez
COE Fellow
Background
Mia is a doctoral student in the Cognition program working with Dr. Susan Levine. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016 with a B.S. in Psychology and minor in Chemistry. While at UIUC, Mia worked as a research assistant in the Brain and Cognitive Development Lab of Dr. Daniel Hyde. After graduation, she spent two years as research assistant and lab manager for Drs. Nora Newcombe and Tim Shipley in the Research in Spatial Cognition Lab at Temple University.
Research
Mia is broadly interested in the underlying cognitive mechanisms of mathematical learning, and, more specifically, the relationship between spatial and numerical cognitive development. She is also interested in the effects of sociocultural factors on cognition, and supporting underrepresented students in STEM.
Jessica Waltmon
IES Fellow
Background
Jessica is a doctoral student and Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Fellow in Developmental Psychology working with Katherine Kinzler and Susan Levine. She graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis with Highest Honors. For her honors thesis, Jessica examined how general mindsets (Dweck, 1999) and stress mindsets (Crum et al., 2013) relate to college students’ experiences of stress and academic burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic under the supervision of Yuko Munakata. During her time at Davis she worked as a research assistant in the Social Environment and Stress Lab of Dr. Camelia Hostinar, and the Cognition in Context Lab of Dr. Yuko Munakata. She also completed an NSF funded CSLI summer Internship at Stanford University in 2020 working with Dr. Ellen Markman and a graduate student, in which they examined helicopter parenting practices and beliefs.
Research
Broadly, Jessica’s interests include 1) understanding what shapes our conception of our cognitive abilities and how this influences our behaviors; 2) investigating how this knowledge can bolster interventions in education, industry, policy, and medical fields.