Albany, NY — Leigh Wedenoja, formerly a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University, has joined the Rockefeller Institute of Government as a senior policy analyst to bolster the Institute’s timely, rigorous public policy research and analysis.

Dr. Wedenoja is an experienced researcher in the economics of education, labor economics, behavioral economics, policy analysis, and demography. Her expertise will contribute to the Institute’s expanding studies of pressing state and national policy issues, from education inequities and the opioid epidemic to fiscal policy and the effects of automation in New York State.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Leigh Wedenoja to the Rockefeller Institute team,” said Rockefeller Institute President Jim Malatras. “Dr. Wedenoja’s broad set of analytical skills and focus on evidence-based policy make her a perfect fit for the Rockefeller Institute. She will be an important part the Institute’s continued growth.”

“Dr. Wedenoja is a skilled and insightful researcher with a deep interest in applying research to inform better policymaking,” said Rockefeller Institute Incoming Interim Executive Director Patricia Strach. “Her expertise in education policy, in particular, will help the Institute deepen and expand its analysis of education inequities in New York and around the country. We’re proud to welcome her to the team.”

Dr. Wedenoja has served as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Education at Brown University since 2017. Prior to that, she served as administrator of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Federal Statistical Research Data Center at Cornell University. She has published “Labour Law Violations in Chile” in the journal International Labour Review as well as a series of working papers on education, labor, and behavioral economics.

She holds a PhD in economics and a master’s in economics from Cornell University and a bachelor’s in economics, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies from the University of Michigan.

About the Rockefeller Institute of Government

The Rockefeller Institute of Government is the public policy research arm of the State University of New York. The Institute conducts cutting-edge research and analysis to inform lasting solutions to the problems facing New York State and the nation.