PhD Community

Their academic backgrounds include economics, engineering, English literature, history, and political science. Despite their varied backgrounds, they share an intellectual interest in public administration and policy analysis and a drive to become the top scholars and teachers in their fields.

On the Job Market

	Emily Gutierrez Email Fort Worth, Texas Baylor University (2011) BBA - Economics, Spanish, & Public Administration. Baylor University (2014) MS - Economics Before beginning her graduate studies at Maxwell, Emily was a Teach for America 2011 corps member and a research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Her research interests include education, welfare, and inequality policy issues
	Raghav Puri Email India St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi (2009), BA (Honours) in Economics Tsinghua University, Beijing (2010), Exchange Student Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (2011). MPP Research Interests: Program Evaluation, Social Policy, Development Policy Raghav has been working with the World Bank in India since 2011. During this period, he worked closely with various state governments in evaluating and improving the implementation of social protection programs such as non-contributory social pensions, health insurance, subsidized food and public works. He enjoys primary research and has been volunteering as a field investigator for surveys of social protection programs in India with academics and researchers every summer since 2007.
	David Schwegman Email Granby, Connecticut BA (2013), Economics and History MPA (2015), Public Finance David's fields of specialization are public finance and social policy, with a focus on state and local tax policy, education policy, and program evaluation. He works with Robert Bifulco in the Center for Policy
	Saied Toossi Email \| LinkedIn University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011), BA in Mathematics & History. Northern Illinois University (2015), MA in Economics. Saied is a Ph.D. student in Public Administration, working in the Center for Policy Research with Sarah Hamersma. He has a broad interest in Social Policy and Inequality and Health and Education Policy, specifically as they pertain to children's development. In the past, Saied has engaged in political campaigning, issue advocacy, and mentoring at-risk adolescents.
	Nara Yoon Email Seoul, Republic of Korea Yonsei University (2011), BA in Public Administration. Yonsei University (2013), MPA in Public Administration. My research interests include strategic management, contracting out, and government performance in the nonprofit sector. My master’s thesis examined the impact of contracting out on garbage collection services in the local governments of Korea. I work with David Van Slyke.

Current PhD Students

Students pursuing the Ph.D. in Public Administration at the Maxwell School bring a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. Current students hail from the United States (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah), Canada, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, India, and Korea. Their academic backgrounds include economics, engineering, English literature, history, and political science. Despite their varied backgrounds, they share an intellectual interest in public administration and policy analysis and a drive to become the top scholars and teachers in their fields.

On the Job Market
	Rhea Acuña Email Westland, Michigan University of Michigan (2008), BA in Economics Carnegie Mellon University (2014), MS in Public Policy & Management Rhea's research interest emerged from past work experiences with people- and place-based strategies in poverty alleviation. She aims to further explore this dichotomy and research how interactions between people and place shape poverty. She will be working with Professors Sarah Hamersma and Katherine Michelmore. Prior to attending Maxwell, Rhea worked within the economic development and social policy fields in various analytical capacities: Research Analyst at Reinvestment Fund, Senior Research Analyst at The Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland, and Economic Analyst at the State of Michigan's Bureau of Labor Market Information.
	Catherine Annis Email Tallahassee, Florida Florida State University (2016), BS in International Affairs Florida State University (2018), MPA in Public Administration Prior to attending Maxwell, Catherine worked on a National Science Foundation project studying Smart City initiatives as a researcher for Florida State University. Catherine also managed the Public Policy Group for the DeVoe Moore Center at Florida State. In 2017, she interned with the Office of Minority Business and Economic Development at the U.S. Department of Energy. Catherine's research interests include public sector innovation, collaborative governance, and organizational networks. Her work explores the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as tools for citizen engagement, workflow management, and coordination. She is particularly interested in multi-sector collaboration and is currently looking at this issue in the context of veteran community care networks.
	Emily Cardon Email Farmington, Connecticut Boston College (2008) BA – International Studies. Syracuse University (2013) MPA – Public Administration. Prior to her graduate studies at Maxwell, Emily worked for Congressman Jim Himes in Washington, D.C., ultimately serving as Legislative Assistant. Emily’s research interests focus on health policy. She works with Professor Leonard Lopoo in the Center for Policy Research.
	Ziqiao Chen Email Beijing, China University of Rochester (2014) BA – International Relations and Economics. University of Pittsburgh (2016) MPA – Policy Research and Analysis. Ziqiao developed his research interest in energy and environmental policy since he was an intern at the European Parliament. Prior to attending Maxwell, Ziqiao studied in Rochester and Pittsburgh and provided research support for projects on EU’s emissions trading scheme and shale gas policy in China. He is exploring the role of emissions control policy in driving innovations of cleaner and more energy-efficient technology in the industry. Ziqiao works with Professor David Popp.
	Yoon-Jung Choi Email Bloomington, Indiana Seoul National University, BA in Political Science (2012) Indiana University, MPA in Public Financial Administration (2017) Yoon-Jung's research interests are in the areas of public finance and budgeting, public financial management, and public economics. Within these fields, she focuses on research that involves public debt and taxation. Yoon-Jung will work with Professor John Yinger.
	Jeehee Han Email Seoul, South Korea Northwestern University (2014), BA - Economics and Sociology. Columbia University (2016) MA - Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. While studying economics and sociology at Northwestern University, Jeehee interned at the US Department of Education for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. She also worked as a research assistant at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development after starting her Master’s program at Columbia University. Now she is a PhD student with concentrations in Social Policy and Public Finance. She is interested in research questions spanning the areas of education, housing and welfare.
	Dae-Woo Kim Email Seoul, Republic of Korea Korea University (2003) BA - Public Administration. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010) - Master of Human Resources & Industrial Relations. Interests - public management, nonprofit management, human resource management. Dae-Woo works with Professor Soonhee Kim in the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.
	Hyoung-Keun (Jay) Kwon Email Seoul, Republic of Korea Swarthmore College, BA in Mathematics (2015) Seoul National University, Master of Public Administration (2017) Jay’s fields of interest include public financial management and public management. Prior to joining Maxwell, he worked as a research assistant at the Center for Government Competitiveness at Seoul National University. Jay works with Professor Yilin Hou in the Center for Policy Research.
	Mohammed Qasim Mehdi Email Lahore, Pakistan Lahore University of Management Sciences (2014), BA - History Syracuse University (2017), MPA Prior to joining Maxwell, Qasim worked as a book reviewer and as a researcher at LUMS. At Maxwell, his Ph.D. concentration is in climate change, and natural resource and environmental policy. He works under the supervision of Pete Wilcoxen.
	Brian Ohl Email Greene, New York Ithaca College (2003) BA – Philosophy and History Cornell University (2005) MPA – Environmental Policy Prior to attending Maxwell, Brian spent over seven years working at the New York City Office of Management and Budget, most recently as the Assistant Director of the Infrastructure Task Force, where he and his team oversaw/prepared the budgets of a number of agencies/institutions including the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the three New York City library systems, and the Department of Cultural Affairs. His research focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and he works with Peter Wilcoxen and David Popp in the Center for Environmental Policy and Administration.
	Hannah Patnaik Email Boston University (2014), Masters in Economics and a Bachelors in both Economics and International Relations Since then she worked at Boston Biomedical Consultants as a market research analyst, and following that, as a Junior Business Partnerships Consultant at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Hannah's research interests include sustainable development and public health policies in developing countries. Outside of academia she loves to travel and read
	Jaclyn Petruzzelli Email Philadelphia, PA St. Joseph's University (2011), BS – Psychology College of William & Mary (2013), MPP – Public Policy Jaclyn's research focuses on organizational social evaluation concepts including organizational reputation. Her dissertation seeks to provide conceptual clarity in that area and to test how those concepts affect the relationship between organizations and stakeholders by drawing on theory and informing management strategies. While completing her dissertation, Jaclyn is working as a Research Assistant for the Congressional Research Service.
	Laura Rodriguez Ortiz Email Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Laura is working with Professor Len Lopoo in the Center for Policy Research. She is a Fulbright scholar from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she studied Economics in the Pontificia Universidad Católita Madre y Maestra. Before coming to Maxwell to pursue a joint degree in Public Administration and Economics she worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in projects related to poverty reduction in her home country. During her second year in Maxwell she worked for the Say Yes Foundation as a Research Assistant. She is interested in using behavioral economics and quantitative methods to address questions related to education, family welfare and immigration.
	Chris Rick Email Waldorf, Maryland University of Maryland (2009), BA - Economics City College of New York (2016), MA - Economics After graduating from UMD, Chris worked as a researcher for Battelle Memorial Institute. He has studied the economic impact of air cargo shipments and co-written various reports for the US Department of Transportation, including Freight Facts and Figures and Transportation Statistics Annual Report. While studying to earn an MA in economics at City College, Chris taught Principles of Microeconomics to undergraduate students. He is interested in how public policy can improve all aspects of urban life. Chris will work with Professor Amy Ellen Schwartz.
	Alvaro Salas Email Costa Rica INCAE Business School, (BA – foreign affairs & law; MBA). Cornell University (2014), MPA While at Cornell, Alvaro served as a researcher at Cornell University for the Policy Analysis and Management program and the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy. He was the first Latin American to serve as President of the Cornell Public Affairs Society. He became a Presidential Fellow at the Center for the Study of Presidency and Congress in Washington DC, was inducted into Phi Alpha Alpha national honor society for public affairs and management, and was the recipient of Cornell’s Adams Award for exemplary scholarship and service in the field of public affairs. He has previous experience as a business development officer in corporate law firm, as a general manager of an insurance company in Panama and as an academic consultant and researcher for the Interamerican Development Bank, Grameen Creative Lab, a major Latin American private equity firm and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York City, Division of Public Administration and Development Management e-government branch assisting the Chief of Staff of the Division. His work has been published in the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Latin America Report under Innovative Public-Private Partnerships for Inclusive Development in Latin America, the Huffington Post, the Morocco World News, the Cornell Policy Review blog, and in La Nación, a leading newspaper in his home country. Alvaro's research interests include areas such as: i) Civic Participation (deliberative democracy, participatory systems and collaborative governance) ii) E-Government (e-participation and government 2.0 to better understand organizations participatory dynamics). Alvaro works with Tina Nabatchi and Ines Mergel in PARCC.
	Mattie Theobald Bloomington, Indiana Hamilton College (2014), MA in Public Policy and Studio Art Indiana University (2017), MPA in Health Policy and Policy Analysis Mattie is primarily interested in health policy and related public program evaluation. Mattie will work with Professors Len Lopoo and Sarah Hamersma.