Abdulrahman Alamer
Home country: Saudi Arabia
Research interests: Education and youth development policy; data-driven impact evaluation; mentorship-to-employment pathways; poverty reduction
I am a Saudi entrepreneur and policy-focused builder who creates mission-driven products and evidence-based interventions that scale. My background spans entrepreneurship, product and platform development, transformation strategy, project management, and digitization, with experience taking initiatives from zero to serving millions of users. I have raised several million dollars from leading venture investors and led cross-functional teams to deliver measurable outcomes at scale. Academically, I've already earned two master's degrees prior to DEDP, and eight bachelor’s degrees spanning engineering, neuroscience, political science, law, and behavioral sciences. I pursued the DEDP MicroMasters to strengthen my quantitative toolkit for policy design and evaluation. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to pursue a PhD and return to Saudi Arabia to build scalable, data-driven government programs and institutions.
Ayoub Aouzal
Home country: Morocco
Research interests: Institutional reform; infrastructure and energy; public investment
Trained as a civil engineer, I spent the past decade working across technical and organizational roles in the infrastructure sector, where I confronted complex public investment and institutional challenges. My later experience as a financial judge at Morocco’s Supreme Audit Institution revealed how ambitious intentions and development goals can falter without coherent strategic decision-making, well-designed policy, and robust implementation systems. The DEDP MicroMasters strengthened my commitment to evidence-based policy, and courses such as Political Economy and Economic Development deepened my understanding of how political institutions shape development outcomes. At MIT, I aim to further develop my skills in policy design and strategic management to help governments and development partners strengthen institutions, improve resource allocation, and develop long-term strategies that drive sustainable development.
Casey Easton
Home country: United States
Research interests: Workforce development; labor market reform
I previously worked as a consultant for the Colorado Business & Education Alliance, a small non-profit organization that aims to bridge the gap between K-12 education and workforce systems. I helped build data infrastructure to demonstrate program impact and support grant applications. I was also a data analysis instructor for an upskilling company supporting underrepresented individuals transitioning into tech. Witnessing my capable students struggle in the job market resonated with my own journey navigating the market without a bachelor's degree and sparked my interest in workforce reform. DEDP’s innovative admissions model has given me a chance I otherwise wouldn't have had, and I hope models like it become the standard rather than the exception. After completing the DEDP program, I hope to continue working at the intersection of data, policy, and workforce development through research, partnering with like-minded organizations, or building something new.
Lucía Gallardo
Home Country: Mexico
Research interests: Social mobility; economic equity; evidence-based policymaking.
I hold a B.A. in Economics from Tecnológico de Monterrey, where I graduated Magna Cum Laude, and have professional experience in institutions such as the Central Bank of Mexico, the British Embassy, and the private sector—as a consultant, COO at a prop-tech startup, and founder of a civic-tech initiative. My motivation to pursue the DEDP stems from a strong commitment to understanding and designing evidence-based policies that promote inclusive development. I have always been passionate about learning economics and applying it to real-world challenges. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to continue working in applied research and technology-related policy, contributing to more equitable and data-driven solutions.
Rachit Haritwal
Home Country: India
Research interests: Causal inference; econometrics; economic growth; social protection and sustainability.
My previous academic training is in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration. My early career was in a core technical role in the oil & gas industry. More recently, I have worked in strategic program and project management in social impact and public policy in India, implementing projects in education, social protection, livelihood and agriculture. I came across the DEDP Micromasters program when I was exploring the best ways to contribute to the social impact sector, given my non-traditional background. The program helped me build a foundation in development theory, econometrics, and data-driven decision-making for social impact. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to continue pursuing a path in applied econometrics and work on development problems related to economic growth, climate, and sustainability.
Mehedi Hassan
Home Country: Bangladesh
Research interests: Development economics; political economy
Growing up in a rural village in Bangladesh, I witnessed the everyday struggles of the poorest in our society. This experience, along with my interest in economics and mathematics, motivated me to pursue the DEDP MicroMasters because I wanted to learn and understand how poverty and inequality could actually be addressed. Prior to DEDP, I worked as a Research Coordinator at Brac Institute of Governance and Development. After completing the DEDP program, I hope to pursue a PhD in Economics and continue working on policy relevant research that improves the lives of vulnerable communities in Bangladesh and beyond.
Aaron Joseph
Home Country: North America
Research interests: Finance; education programs; decision making and game theory
I started the DEDP MicroMasters while I was still completing my Bachelor of Economics at the University of Washington. While I was considering options for graduate school, I stumbled upon the program and enrolled to advance my career and interest in public policy. I hope to eventually complete a PhD in Economics and dive deeper into policy, while still brushing up on data science for roles in research or finance. My hope is to learn more about the research process and gain hands-on experience to help others.
Cedric Kamkoum
Home Country: Cameroon
Research interests: Statistics and data science; causal inference; randomized controlled trials; experimental design; quasi-experimental methods; econometrics; development economics; behavioral economics; education policy; monetary policy
I hold a BA in Economics, a BSc in Mathematics, and an MA in Economics. I discovered the DEDP MicroMasters program during my undergraduate studies while searching for online data analysis and econometrics courses. I was inspired to pursue the full program upon learning about its innovative approach to understanding and addressing global poverty through designed experiments. Using the data analysis techniques I learned in the MicroMasters courses, I wrote a master's thesis featuring a design-based natural experimental approach to measure the macroeconomic effects of quantitative easing (QE). At MIT, I look forward to learning from outstanding faculty members conducting research at the forefront of their fields.
Yizhen Kong
Home Country: China
Research Interests: Energy and environment; labour & technology (AI); causality and data science
My background is in computer science, and I have worked in the software industry. Like many, I often find myself flooded with information and news. Learning economics and data science through the DEDP program opened my eyes and empowered me to make data-driven analyses and judgements on the world around me. My current research interests include labour economics, particularly with regards to designing policy around technological "shocks" such as A.I. I am also interested in environmental economics and sustainability. After completing the DEDP program, building on my existing skills in computer science, I hope to use advanced computational tools to drive economic research in these areas, and possibly pursue a PhD.
Andrei Linguraru
Home Country: Romania
Research Interests: Education policy; behavioural economics (incentives design in particular); complexity economics/ systems thinking
My early interest in math and science, coupled with my passion for entrepreneurship and leadership, led me to Bath, United Kingdom in 2019 to pursue a degree in management. Since 2021, I have worked with C&C Group in various roles, most recently as a commercial analyst, supporting business stakeholders in making decisions with data. My experience as a volunteer in the educational field and my engagement in social entrepreneurship grew in me the desire to make a positive impact in the world, which led me to the DEDP program. Using empirical data and economic theory to promote institutional reform thus seemed like a great career change for me. Looking ahead, I hope to conduct innovative research programmes and assist in policy-making.
Guillermo Peralta Sosa
Home Country: Dominican Republic
Research Interests: Sustainable development; public finance; poverty alleviation
I have a background in mathematics and statistics and have dedicated myself to data analysis, first in the private sector and now at the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic. While working there, I was introduced more deeply to economics and realized how my training in data could help improve decision-making and have a positive impact. As I looked for ways to strengthen my knowledge in this area, I discovered the DEDP MicroMasters and saw it as the perfect opportunity to build a stronger technical foundation in economics. I’m excited to continue learning from leading experts at MIT and, after the program, to return to the DR to contribute to its sustainable development.
Thiago Piovan
Home Country: Brazil
Research Interests: Education; poverty reduction; social equity; public transportation; behavioral economics; and policy implementation
I built my career working with data-driven, results-oriented public policy across government and NGOs in Brazil. My experiences combine project management, expanding full-time public high schools, and leading education policy monitoring and research. The DEDP MicroMasters felt like a natural next step, allowing me to strengthen my causal and analytical toolkit and develop a better understanding of how policies unfold in real systems. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to continue working on high-impact public policy initiatives, with the long-term goal of serving in elected government offices in Brazil and advancing national strategies grounded in evidence, equity, and collaborative leadership.
Amita Shukla
Home Country: United States
Research Interests: Mechanism design; behavioral economics; organizational economics
I came to DEDP with a background in product management focused on designing incentive‑compatible systems for business and social welfare. After earning my B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia, I led a product team at Code for America redesigning Minnesota’s social safety net portal (serving 600,000+ households) and later built an experimentation platform at Analytic Partners guiding over $5 billion in Fortune 500 strategy decisions. I’m interested in how AI deployment can encourage productive augmentation rather than automation—how we design workflows, handoff points, and evaluation processes so that human and machine capabilities complement rather than displace each other. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to return to AI product management to bridge technical safety research with real-world deployment, designing systems that support and augment workers instead of replacing or deskilling them.
Chayaton Subchavaroj
Home Country: Thailand
Research Interests: Wealth taxation; public policy; poverty alleviation; environmental economics; labor economics
While pursuing my Bachelor's in Business Administration at Chulalongkorn University, I came across Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo’s book, Poor Economics, which shed light on my aspiration to apply research for social good as an academic. Naturally, I looked up the authors and came across the DEDP MicroMasters, which I completed after earning my bachelor's degree. Since then, I pursued a Master's in Applied Economics to further prepare myself for the rigor of the DEDP Masters and my subsequent pursuit of a PhD in Economics. I also worked as a researcher for Dr. Katikar Tipayalai at Chulalongkorn University, utilizing spatial econometrics to explore the effects of education on poverty reduction and healthcare access on non-communicable disease mortality in Thailand. My goal is to become an economics professor in Thailand, conducting research on policies that affect the lives of people living in developing countries with extreme inequality and contributing to a fair, inclusive, and sustainable society.
Lyonel Tanganco
Home Country: Philippines
Research Interests: Social protection; fiscal policy; health economics
I am a researcher and policy practitioner with training in economics, engineering, and public policy. I have worked at the intersection of empirical research and policy reform in government and civil society. My experience includes leading tax reforms and social protection programs as a Director at the Philippine Department of Finance, founding a policy coalition that helped design and scale a First 1,000 Days cash grant to address child malnutrition, and organizing civil society coalitions in public budgeting and mobility. I pursued the DEDP MicroMasters to strengthen my toolkit in causal inference and data-driven policy design. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to pursue applied economic research while preparing for a PhD in economics.
Matheus Turchet
Home Country: Brazil
Research Interests: Econometrics; applying technology in health and education
Despite earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, my professional journey has centered on data and statistics, primarily in fintech and healthtech startups. For seven years, I worked with statistical tools—including A/B testing, machine learning models, and causal inference—demonstrating how data-driven approaches can validate ideas and create tangible value for both organizations and customers. This experience revealed the potential of these methods not only to transform individual businesses but also to drive broader societal change. At MIT, I aim to further explore the intersection of technology, econometrics and public policy. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to leverage this knowledge by working with organizations that combine technology and data to improve education and health outcomes in Brazil and worldwide.
Maya Welch
Home Country: United States
Research Interests: Public health; poverty alleviation; community-driven policy design
I graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Political Economy and Mathematics and have since built my career at the intersection of community health, data systems, and policy, most recently as Impact Lead at Healing Fields Foundation in India, where I design and implement community-driven digital health ecosystems to strengthen rural primary care. Crunching messy field data in order to generate actionable program insights sparked my interest in more rigorous analysis methodologies and evidence-based policymaking and led me to pursue the DEDP MicroMasters. Professionally, I am focused on community health systems, CHW-led care models, digital public goods, and data governance. After completing the DEDP program, I plan to continue advancing research and policy innovations that strengthen last-mile health systems.
Luhua Yang
Home Country: China and Singapore
Research Interests: Econometrics; financial economics; market design; behavior economics
Prior to DEDP, I earned a Bachelor of Computer Science from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Financial Engineering from UC Berkeley. Following graduation, I spent four years as a quantitative trader at IMC Trading, where I honed my expertise in quantitative analysis by processing large volumes of trade deltas, identifying market signals, and backtesting strategies to discover patterns for insightful trading. I successfully applied these methods to drive significant institutional and personal impact. My goal within the DEDP program is to hone and expand my quantitative toolkit to address challenges at the societal level. Post-graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD to further refine my research rigor and analytical intuition
Yiran Yang
Home Country: Singapore
Research Interests: Public goods; public finance; housing markets; illicit economy
I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University College London (UCL), where I carried out mini-projects, using data to analyse political and economic issues, such as housing, public finance, migration and international relations. These experiences shaped my data-oriented thinking and piqued my interest for evidence-based decision-making, leading me to take the DEDP MicroMasters courses. I enjoy reading research in this field because researchers often identify novel and context-dependent ways to test policy outcomes. My goal is to advocate for economically efficient institutions to improve public goods provision and public finance in developing countries.
