Ari Anisfeld

I am an applied microeconomist researching social interactions and other forces that shape young people’s decisions around human capital formation. I use experiments and quasi-experiments paired with tools from econometrics and machine learning.

In my dissertation research, I investigate how segregation impacts individuals skills, preferences and beliefs, focusing on schools in Macedonia. Through my role with the U.S. Department of Education, I explore why many students struggle to complete college, focusing on the interplay between public policy, institutional barriers and student behavior. I'm also interested in the factors that influence neighborhood effects and how these shape individuals' lives.

I am currently a Research and Policy Fellow at the Office of Federal Student Aid of the U.S. Department of Education. Before pursuing the PhD, I taught middle school math in Thoreau, New Mexico, was an Education Fellow at NYC Department of Education and served as a Research and IT Fellow at Gobabeb Research and Training Center in Namibia. These experiences inform my commitment to applied research that bridges theory and practice.