Kelly Hallberg

Kelly Hallberg, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She serves as the Scientific Director for the Inclusive Economy Lab where she is responsible for the scientific rigor and direction of the Lab’s projects and oversees a portfolio of applied research projects designed to result in greater economic opportunity for young people harmed by discrimination, disinvestment, and segregation.

Dr. Hallberg has over 18 years of experience conducting applied policy research. Much of Dr. Hallberg’s recent work has focused on improving the post-secondary educational attainment of students from low-income households. A methodologist by training, Dr. Hallberg is an expert in experimental and quasi-experimental design, with a specific focus on time series analysis. Committed to ensuring that research is not only rigorous but relevant, she thinks extensively about how research can inform practice and policy at scale. Her work on these and other topics has appeared in the Journal for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Education Researcher, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, Prevention Science, and Evaluation Review.

Before joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Hallberg was principal researcher specializing in educational program evaluation and policy analysis at the American Institutes for Research. She also previously worked at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and as an aide for Senator Tom Harkin. She holds a BA in political science from Carleton College, an MPP from Chicago Harris, and a PhD in human development and social policy from Northwestern University.