I am a labor and public economist who employs quasi experimental techniques and field experiments to better understand the determinants of human capital. My work is in two main areas. I have published and ongoing work aimed at understanding the early-life determinants of human capital formation and another body of work aimed at understanding post-secondary education attainment. I am particularly interested in how public policies and student behaviors affect outcomes like major choice and persistence in higher education, especially among disadvantaged populations. The overarching goal of this agenda is to produce convincing evidence to help inform public policy decisions as they relate to human capital. More generally, this work has important implications for addressing inequality, as human capital is a central lever for economic mobility.