Senior Research Associate
Anjali Pai is a Senior Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute where she supports work examining the relationship between higher-education and economic outcomes in Rhode Island. Her previous research has focused on understanding and reducing barriers to entering STEM fields for women and underrepresented minorities, and studying the impact of K-12 interventions to improve adolescent mental health. Prior to joining Annenberg, Anjali worked as a Senior Analyst at Abt Global, where she helped design rigorous evaluations of federally-funded workforce training programs and supported the design of randomized controlled trials in K-12 education. Her commitment to improving equity in education access, quality, and outcomes is driven by her experiences mentoring underrepresented minority students and volunteering as a computer science instructor in low-income elementary and middle schools. Across her work, she has prioritized generating actionable evidence by engaging educators, practitioners, and local communities in the research process.
Anjali received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California San Diego with specializations in labor economics and the economics of education. She also holds a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Williams College.
