I am an Economist and Professor of Public Policy at UCLA and a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). My research interests include public policy, entrepreneurship, education, racial and gender inequality, information technology, labor economics, developing countries, and immigration. Publications from my research have appeared in leading journals in economics, policy, management, science, and medicine. I received a Ph.D. and M.A. from Northwestern University and B.A. with honors from Stanford University. I have held visiting positions at Stanford University, Yale University, UC Berkeley, and Australian National University. I have received funding for my research from the National Science Foundation, National Academies and Russell Sage Foundation as well as numerous government agencies and foundations, and have testified in front of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Department of Treasury, and the California State Assembly. Recent awards and honors include a joint resolution from the California State Assembly, Choice Academic Title award, and the Bradford-Osborne research award two years in a row. I am regularly interviewed by the media to comment on economic, education, entrepreneurship, inequality and policy issues.

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in May 2004.