I am an applied microeconomist currently holding positions as a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand. I hold a Ph.D. Economics from the University of New Mexico with specializations in econometrics and labor economics. My primary research focuses on the intersection of labor economics and the economics of education. Specifically, I am interested in transitions from higher education to the labor market. In this space, I study whether delayed college graduation serves as a productivity signal to prospective employers, the intended and unintended effects of broad-based state merit aid, and strategies to narrow the income gap in college graduation. I also examine how adult literacy and numeracy skill endowments affect the speed of wage convergence between native- and foreign-born workers in OECD host countries. I teach Economic Policy Analysis and Economics for Business Managers at AUT.
