I'm a labor scholar and an assistant professor at the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Michigan State University. My research examines how changes in work and organizations affect workers — their pay, voice, well-being, and power in the workplace. I study three interconnected issues: the rise of algorithmic management and digital technologies in the workplace; the growth of outsourcing and multi-layered labor contracting arrangements; and shifting employer skill demands and worker job preferences. I use both quantitative and qualitative methods, drawing on proprietary firm-level datasets, original surveys, interviews, field experiments, and restricted U.S. Census data.

I received my PhD from MIT Sloan School of Management with the Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and an Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

My research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, CBS News, MIT Technology Review, and cited in a U.S. Senate briefing, among others.

Publications
(with Franchesca Spektor, Sarah E. Fox, Somang Min, Grace Sarfo, Betsy Stringam, Christine Riordan, Ben Begleiter, and Jodi Forlizzi)
Proceedings of the ACM SIGGHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS25), 2025
(with Christine Riordan, Yeaseul Hur, Patricia Tabarani, and Deb Figart)
British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2025
(with Emilio Castilla)
Management Science, 2023
Appeared in The Wall Street Journal
Do Workers Speak Up When Feeling Job Insecure? Examining Workers' Response to Precarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(with Christine Riordan, Christian L. Ibsen, J. Ryan Lamare, and Maite Tapia)
Work and Occupations, 2023, 50(1): 81–113
(with Franchesca Spektor, Sarah E. Fox, Ezra Awumey, Ben Begleiter, Chinmay Kulkarni, Betsy Stringam, Christine Riordan, Hunter Akridge, and Jodi Forlizzi)
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2023, 7(CSCW1): 1–20
Appeared in a U.S. Senate briefing on AI and work
(with Franchesca Spektor, Sarah E. Fox, Ezra Awumey, Christine Riordan, Chinmay Kulkarni, Marlen Martinez-Lopez, Betsy Stringam, Ben Begleiter, and Jodi Forlizzi)
Proceedings of the ACM SIGGHI Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS23), 2023, 623–637
(with Eileen Appelbaum and Arne Kalleberg)
Challenge, 2019, 62(4): 219–241
(with Jody Heymann, John Schmitt, and Alison Earle)
International Journal of Health Services, 2009, 40(1): 1–22
Appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post; cited in the Healthy Families Act of 2009
Working Papers & Work in Progress
From Rhythms to Stop, Drop, and Roll: Unpacking the Impact of Algorithmic Management on Discretion in Hotel Housekeeping
(with Christine Riordan)
Under Review at Industrial and Labor Relations Review (2nd R&R submitted)
Brokering Contested Technologies: Stabilizing and Governing Algorithmic Management
(with Christine Riordan, Yeaseul Hur, Patricia Tabarani, and Francesca Spektor)
Under Review at Administrative Science Quarterly
Multi-layered Labor Contracting and Price Setting Process for Nonstandard Work
Preparing for submission
Fixing Low-Promotability Work: (In)visibility and Gender Disparity in Giving Feedback
(with Brittany M. Bond and Mabel Abraham)
Preparing for submission
How Skill Demands Affect Time-to-Hire: Evidence from Applicant Tracking Data
(with Andrew Weaver)
Draft writing stage
Understanding the Role of Transparency in the Job Matching Process for Travel Nurses
(with Christine Riordan and Wenjia Cao)
Data analysis stage
Longitudinal Predictors of Skill Demands in U.S. Manufacturing
(with Andrew Weaver and Tingting Zhang)
Data analysis stage
The Value of Pecuniary and Non-pecuniary Job Amenities for Students: Evidence from a Field Experiment
(with Amanda Chuan)
Data analysis stage
Policy & Practitioner-Oriented Work (Selected)

Alongside my academic research, I write for policy and practitioner audiences on issues of work, inequality, and labor market policy. Below is a selection of this work, much of it produced during my time at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), which has been widely cited in national media and by policymakers.

Labor Market Transitions of Young People During the Pandemic
(with Julie Yixia Cai and Shawn Fremstad)
CEPR Report, 2020.
Multiple Jobholders: Who Are They and How Are They Impacted by the Pandemic
(with Shawn Fremstad)
CEPR, 2020. Cited in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune.
Racial Inequality Among Workers in Frontline Industries: Black Workers are Overrepresented and Undercompensated
(with Hayley Brown and Shawn Fremstad)
CEPR, 2020. Cited in CBS News, CNBC.
Meatpacking Workers are a Diverse Group Who Need Better Protections
(with Shawn Fremstad and Hayley Brown)
CEPR, 2020. Cited in Politico, The Hill, USA Today; interview with WBEZ Chicago NPR.
A Basic Demographic Profile of Workers in Frontline Industries
(with Hayley Brown and Shawn Fremstad)
CEPR Report, 2020. Cited in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, CNN Business, Mother Jones, NBC News; cited by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Contagion Nation 2020: United States Still the Only Wealthy Nation without Paid Sick Leave
(with Shawn Fremstad and Jared Gaby-Biegel)
CEPR Report, 2020.
Young Workers in Nonstandard Work Arrangements, 2005–2017
(with Aaron Medlin)
CEPR Report, 2019.
Hard Work? Patterns in Physically Demanding Labor Among Older Workers
CEPR Briefing Paper, 2010. Cited in The New York Times, CBS Evening News; cited in U.S. Senate testimony.
Unions and Upward Mobility for Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers
(with John Schmitt and Nicole Woo)
CEPR Briefing Paper, 2011.
Health-Insurance Coverage Rates for US Workers, 1979–2008
(with John Schmitt)
CEPR Briefing Paper, 2010. Cited in Healthcare Finance News.
Paid Sick Days Don't Cause Unemployment
(with John Schmitt, Alison Earle, and Jody Heymann)
CEPR Briefing Paper, 2009. Cited in The New York Times; cited in the Healthy Families Act of 2009.
Teaching

Teaching is central to how I think about my work as a scholar. I believe learning happens through dialogue — when students feel invited to bring their own questions, experiences, and disagreements into the room. My goal is to create that kind of space in every course.

Capstone on Human Resources and Labor Relations
Designed around student-led discussion and real-world application. Students connect what they've learned across their major to contemporary issues in human resources and labor relations, then apply those ideas to projects with organizations of their choice.
Income Inequality
Examines the causes and consequences of rising inequality in the United States. Drawing on both empirical research and competing theoretical frameworks, students grapple with fundamental questions about who gets ahead, who gets left behind, and why — and what, if anything, can be done about it.
HR and Employment Relations in South Korea
A study abroad course in the spring where I travel to South Korea with students for firsthand learning about labor relations institutions, employment practices, and worker organizing. Beyond the academic content, the course is deeply experiential — students engage with Korean workplace culture, visit organizations, and explore how South Korea's economic development and labor history have shaped the world of work there today.
Study abroad trip to South Korea

Students on the study abroad trip to South Korea, Spring 2025.