Miranda P. Kaye
DIRECTOR
Miranda joined the Survey Lab in 2023 after serving as the director of the Survey Research Center at The Pennsylvania State University. Miranda earned her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Penn State, her MS in Exercise Science from Arizona State University, and her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University. Miranda specializes in projects involving large-scale, multi-modal, longitudinal, field, and RDD data collection. In her own research, she applies multivariate methods to the study of human development, health, and well-being with a focus on scale development, measurement, and program evaluation.
martha van haitsma
CO-DIRECTOR
Martha has co-directed or directed the Survey Lab since its inception in 2001. Martha earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago and her MA from the University of Texas at Austin. Martha is Past President of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO).
HILLARY HANSON
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Hillary began working as an Operations Manager for the Survey Lab in 2011. She earned her MA in social science from the University of Chicago and her BS in psychology from Iowa State University. Hillary specializes in planning, staffing, training, and monitoring progress for large field studies. In addition to her work at the Survey Lab, Hillary enjoys yoga, cooking, and planning her next travel adventure.
CARSON GAFFNEY
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Carson began working as a Research Assistant for the Survey Lab in 2015 while pursuing her degree in the college. In 2018 she returned to the Lab as a Research Specialist. Carson earned her BA from the University of Chicago in 2016 and her MPH from the University of Chicago in 2025. Carson enjoys spending time by the lake with her dog, Tooba.
Nakeya Thorns
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Nakeya began her career at the Survey Lab in 2019 as a Research Assistant and became a Project Coordinator in 2024. Nakeya specializes in phone interviewing, including respondent engagement, script adherence, and data accuracy, and assists with managing our virtual call shop. Nakeya is a graduate of Robert Morris University. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and playing The Sims 4.