Aakansha is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Economics at Iowa State University. Her work sits at the intersection of labor markets, public policy, and economic development; current projects explore how access to education shapes employment outcomes in both India and the United States. She has taught undergraduate Money & Banking and enjoys weaving real-world data into her classes. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, she moved to the United States to pursue her doctorate and plans to continue in academia after graduation. Outside of research and teaching, she stays active with rowing, cycling, and distance running.

JACOB, Sinmidele Mercy is currently a third-year PhD. student in the department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at the University of Ilorin. She holds a Master's degree from the same institution and a degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension from Kogi State University, Anyigba.
Mercy is strongly interested in development economics, sustainable agricultural development, and climate change research, particularly in exploring inclusive innovative strategies or technologies that can promote evidence-based policy implementation for sustainable productivity in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large.
She has participated in a United Agency for International Development (USAID) project, “Building Resilience among Nigerian Women Smallholders by Promoting Greater Access to Insurance, Financing and Advanced Agricultural Technologies,” and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) project titled Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat for Improved Livelihoods project (AGG). These and others have given her a practical experience of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In addition to academic work, Mercy is committed to inclusive and participatory development activities that empower young people.

Georgina Maku Cobla is a Public Policy PhD student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a strong foundation in Economics. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a Master of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Ghana. With a wealth of experience in economic research, Georgina has spent over six years contributing valuable insights to the World Bank. Throughout her tenure, she has worked across various sectors, including Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment (MTI); Health, Nutrition, and Population; Education; Gender Data Production; Labor; and Social Protection Global Practices. She is passionate about leveraging economic principles to inform and shape public policies that impact vulnerable populations. Georgina is inclined to continue making meaningful contributions to the intersection of economics and public policy.

Georgina’s research interests draw on economic history to study health, poverty, substance use, and crime. She is presently researching the impacts of anti-poverty programs and policies on post-retirement health outcomes and long-term crime reduction.

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University. My research lies at the intersection of Health Economics, Environmental Economics, and Development Economics. I am particularly interested in how external forces such as public policies, medical innovations, court rulings, and environmental conditions shape women’s health, labor market outcomes, and agency across both developed and developing countries

Before starting graduate school, I worked as a development sector consultant focused on strengthening India’s state capacity by reforming public finance architecture and fostering financial inclusion through diverse social welfare programs. Beyond economics, I am a fitness enthusiast who enjoys running, hiking, and boxing. I also love reading—especially history, science, and geography and am a dedicated movie buff.

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Economics at the University of Georgia. My research focuses on gender and labor economics, particularly the legal, social, and institutional barriers that affect women’s empowerment and well-being. I use a combination of policy analysis, administrative data, and text analysis methods to study issues such as labor market restrictions, crimes against women, and adolescent health education in India. Prior to my doctoral studies, I earned an M.A. in Economics from McGill University and a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from University of Delhi.

Khadija Aslam is a PhD candidate in the Department of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She is also an incoming Fulbright Fellow at Barnard College, Columbia University. Khadija's research explores behavioral household finance, the
economics of marginalized groups, and issues related to segregation.
Motivated by the question of how religious beliefs and cultural practices shape social choices and economic outcomes, her work provides novel insights into these dynamics. In one of her papers, she examines the effect of Islam’s prohibition of interest-bearing transactions on the demand for formal credit, offering new evidence on religion’s role in borrowing behavior. Currently, in an ongoing project, she's investigating patterns of residential segregation in India and its implications for social and economic well-being.

Anas Khan is a fifth year PhD Candidate in Development Studies at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai. His research lies at the intersection of gender, health, and education, with a particular focus on how public policy affects women's well-being and agency. His doctoral thesis comprises three essays that explore the impact of major legal and educational reforms—such as the Right to Education Act, District Primary Education Program and the Dowry Prohibition Act on outcomes like domestic violence, mental health, and maternal care. His work draws primarily on large-scale survey data and applies econometric techniques including regression discontinuity and difference-in-differences. Prior to his PhD, Anas completed M.A. in Economics and B.A. in Computer Applications both from Jamia Millia Islamia. His broader interests include development economics, gender and education policy, and applied econometrics.

I am a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economic Sciences at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. My research interests lie in health and development economics area with a focus on assessing the impact of policy interventions.

Surbhi Sharma is a PhD scholar in Economics at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, India. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender and development economics, with a particular focus on how institutional reforms shape women’s agency and household decision-making. Surbhi is highly adaptive and passionate about her work. She has a strong interest in integrating law and economics to better understand real-world issues.

Andrianony Ny Aina Ianjatina, is a Ph.D candidate in Development Policy at KDI School of Public Policy and Management in South Korea. She is from Madagascar. Her research of interest focuses on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, to be more specific: food security,natural disasters, weather shocks, Early Childhood Development using impact-evaluation analysis. She is also a recipient of the CEGA Fellowship (UC Berkeley) 2025-2026.