Current LBJ Ph.D. Students
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A-D
Ted Aanstoos
Master's degree: MS, Engineering, University of Texas Austin, 1987
Work Experience: Mr. Aanstoos comes to LBJ following 23 years as a Research Engineer/Scientist with the Center for Electromechanics, UT Austin, where he designed and developed energy storage systems and their applications. Mr. Aanstoos served six years as a nuclear propulsion supervisor in the U.S. Navy during the 1970's. Ted is also a Senior Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering department. He has authored numerous refereed journal articles, other papers, and technical reports. He is a Fellow of ASME International and a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas, and a member of APPAM and the ASTM International, as well as the American Society of Engineering Education, and the Society for Engineering Standards.
Research Focus: technical standards, international standards, technology policy, trade
Sofia Ayala
Master's degree: M.S., Economics, University of Texas at Austin.
Work Experience: Before enrolling in the program in fall 2005, Ms. Ayala worked as a research associate at the Bureau of Business Research (now a unite of the IC2 Institute) at the University of Texas at Austin, where she continues to work as a part-time research assistant. In this position, she has co-authored several articles on the effects of the spatial concentration of high-technology firms on class and gender wage inequalities in U.S. metropolitan areas. During the 2007-2008 academic year, Ms. Ayala was also the co-author of a study comissioned by Temple-Inland, Inc. and the LBJ School of Public Affairs on the effects of federal regulations on the international competitiveness of U.S. firms.
Research Focus: Ms. Ayala’s research interests are mainly in the areas on economic development, social and labor policy. her dissertation research focuses on the study of urban wage inequalities in Mexico.
Click here to download a PDF of Ms. Ayala's CV.
Fred Beach
Master's degree: M.S. in Physics, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterrey, CA, 1996
Work Experience: Mr. Beach is an internationally recognized leader and active researcher and analyst in the area of Electromagnetic Launch and High Energy Electric Weapon System Development and has been with the Institute for Advanced Technology at the University of Texas since his retirement from active naval duty in 2003. He is presently the Program Manager for Test and Evaluation and supports the Navy at all levels in the development of EM railguns. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Beach was on an Interagency Personnel Act (IPA) assignment from the University of Texas at Austin to the Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Directed Energy and Electromagnetic Weapons in Washington, D.C. Prior to retiring from active duty, CDR Beach served over twenty years in the U.S. Navy.
Research Focus: U.S. Defense Policy and Technology Development Policy
Click here to download a PDF of Mr. Beach's CV.
Gabriel Cardona-Fox
Master's degree: MA in International Relations, Johns Hopkins/SAIS 1997.
Work Experience: Mr Cardona-Fox has private sector experience working in the area of corporate investigations and risk management. He also spent a short time with the Office of the President in the Clinton White House.
Research Focus: International regimes formation, global governance, human rights, issues of internal displacement and Latin American politics
Jongmook Choe
Master's degrees: International Economic Law (Korea University), International Trade and Investment Policy/Statistics (George Washington University), Law (Northwestern University)
Email: cjm@mail.utexas.edu
Research Focus: Development and Inequality; Criminal Justice Policy; Econometrics and Statistics
For more information, please visit: https://webspace.utexas.edu/~jc45476
Luciano Correa
Master's degrees: M.A. in Energy Resources, M.S. in Operation Research, School of Engineering, Unviersity of Texas at Austin
Work Experience: An engineer by training, Mr Correa is a Research Scientist Associate at UT's Jackson School of Geological Sciences where he manages the royalty assets of the Geology Foundation's more than 1,300 oil and gas wells. He also prepares statistical analyses of geological and engineering data for the School's energy projects.
Email: lcorrea@jsg.utexas.edu
Research Focus: Energy policy
Gregory Cumpton
Master's degree: MPAff, LBJ school, 2006.
Work Experience: For the past three years he has been working as a researcher at the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources on several projects related to identifying factors that contribute to the post-graduation success of high school seniors in central Texas. Mr Cumpton intends to continue working in this area for his dissertation research.
Email: gcumpton@uts.cc.utexas.edu
Research Focus: Education policy
Eleanore Douglas
Master's degree: MA - Intelligence & International Security, Department of War Studies, King's College, University of London
Work Experience: Eleanore comes to the LBJ School of Public Affairs after several years experience as a defense consultant in Washington, D.C. While at Hicks & Associates, Inc., as subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Ms. Douglas supported projects focusing on risk management, defense planning, the use of scenarios and alternative futures, developing materials for both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. She worked with the Defense Adaptive Red Team from 2005-2007, participating in a range of activities from Joint Concept development to technology experiements and war games in support of the Combatant Commands, Joint Staff and component offices of OSD. Building upon her experience at Hicks, Ms. Douglas acted as an independent consultant for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in 2007. Before joining CSIS as a Fellow in their International Security Program in early 2008. She has most recently contributed to a published assessment of the Defense Department's organizational transformation initiatives during the Bush administration.
Email: eleanore.douglas@gmail.com
Research Focus: International Security, Intelligence Policy, Defense Strategy and Policy
Marcel Dulay
Master's degree: M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin.
Work Experience: Mr. Dulay has 19 years design and management experience in civil/environmental engineering and is currently a 7th year doctoral student with research interest in transboundary issues, environment, water resources, conflict resolution, modeling, and program evaluation. He has particular experience on U.S./Mexico issues and seeks to make advances in conflict resolution through the use of decision support, alternative dispute resolution, film, and narrative. He is one of the founders of the UT/Austin Chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World and has served on the Senate of College Councils of UT-Austin.
Research Focus: His areas of expertise include many aspects of engineering, GIS, public facilitation, simulation/optimization modeling, statistics, qualitative analysis, and other advance computer modeling techniques.
Click here to download a PDF of Mr. Dulay's CV.
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E-M
Cesar Martinez Espinosa
Master's degree: MPA, LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2005.
Work Experience: Cesar Martinez Espinosa has experience in the Mexican Federal Government, having worked for almost six years at the Mexican Social Security Institute in leading positions in budgeting, planning and health economic areas. More recently, he has worked in the areas of geopolitical analysis as the chief analyst for Latin America in the Austin based Strategic Forecasting, Inc., dealing mainly with energy and economic and political issues and in evaluating the impact of Mexico’s infrastructure building program on the United States at the Center for Transportation Research at UT.
Research Focus:In the Doctoral program his research is focused to the economic and political integration between Mexico and the United States with a focus on national security, which includes transportation and energy issues.
Andrés Forero
Master's degrees: M.B.A. Finance, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin. And M.A. Latin American Studies (The University of Texas at Austin
Work Experience: Before joining the LBJ School’s Ph.D. program in the fall of 2003, Andres worked for 8 years as a financial analyst and portfolio manager with Intercontinental Asset Management and UBS Paine Webber. His area of specialty was sovereign debt and emerging market equities. Andres has also had extensive experience with distressed securities markets and corporate restructuring in the US.
Research Focus: His research interests include public finance, economic policy, emerging markets, corporate ethics, and restructuring of public companies. Andres’ dissertation topic is “Application of Modern Portfolio Theory to Public Budgeting: The Case of the US Federal Budget.”
Luis Fujiwara
J. Travis Hale
Master's degree: M.P.Aff., LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.
Work Experience: Mr. Hale has worked with the University of Texas Inequality Project since 2002. He has taught or worked as a teaching assistant at the high schoo, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
Research Focus: His research interests include political economy, with a particular focus on the political economy of wage and income inequality. his dissertation "Economic Inequality in the United States 1969-2004" will address causes and consequences of wage and income inequality in the United States at the county, state, and national levels.
Alejandra Ramirez Cuesta
Previous degrees: Professional degree of Architect. School of Architecture, Design and Urbanism; National University of Cordoba, Argentina. And a master degree on “Proyectación Urbanística”. Polytechnic University of Catalonia; Barcelona; Spain.
Work Experience: Before enrolling in the LBJ School’s Ph.D. program in fall 2005, Alejandra Ramirez Cuesta taught urban planning at the School of Architecture, National University of Buenos Aires, for four years. Throughout her academic career she has developed several research projects related to urbanism, local development and socio-environmental topics. Furthermore she has worked in the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina), as well as, in the NGO sector providing technical advice on environmental and urban policy issues.
Research Focus: Her research interests are urban policy, governance and urban spatial analysis, with a regional interest in Latin America.
Email: aerc_tx@yahoo.com.ar
Ana Ramirez-Huerta
Master's degree: MSc, Regional & Urban Planning, London School of Economics, 2002.
Work Experience: Ms Ramírez worked in a leadership position with the German Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning on a project to promote more context-sensitive, user-oriented, and place-based solutions to water supply, wastewater disposal, and water conservation in the greater Guadalajara metropolitan area (Mexico's second-largest conurbation) for about two years before she joined LBJ school. This interdisciplinary project (“PlaceMeg”) is working with local stakeholders to develop innovative ways to improve lives in politically and economically challenged regions of the developing world.
Research Focus: Ms Ramírez’s research interests focus on the interrelationships among environmental, economic, and institutional aspects of urban policymaking in Mexico.
Rahel Kahlert
Master's degrees: Master of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, 2001. And master of Protestant Theology, University of Vienna, Austria, 1998.
Work Experience: Prior to joining the PhD program, Ms. Kahlert was a research and evaluation associate at the Dana Center at UT. She was responsible for evaluating educational programs, researching educational reform, and performing policy analysis in education for state legislators. In this capacity, Ms. Kahlert published in educational journals and gave presentations at national conferences. In 2001, Ms. Kahlert received the Emmette S. Redford Award for Outstanding Research for her field research on program evaluation. Ms. Kahlert is an active member of the American Evaluation Association, Swiss Evaluation Society, and the American Political Science Association.
Research Focus: Ms. Kahlert’s research topics include program and policy evaluation in education and international aid. Her dissertation research addresses the professionalization of program evaluation on an international level.
Tanvi Madan
Master's degree: Master of Arts, International Relations, Yale University, 2003
Work Experience: Tanvi Madan is a Harrington Doctoral fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She previously worked as a research analyst in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Her doctoral work focuses on U.S. and Indian foreign policy decision-making. She is exploring whether and how Indian and U.S. perceptions of and relations with China have affected U.S.-India relations. Ms. Madan's other research interests include studying the effect of India's energy security-related policies on its foreign policy. She has authored monographs and chapters on India's energy security as well as the country's oil and Natural Gas Corporation. Ms. Madan earned an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University and a B.A. from Lady Shri ram College, New Delhi, India.
Research Focus: Indian Foreign and Security Policy, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S.-India Relations, Indian Energy Policy, Cold War History, U.S. Policymaking Organizations and Process
Click here to download a PDF of Ms. Madan's CV.
Roger Miranda
Master's degree: MS, Geosciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 1988
Work Experience: A licensed professional geoscientist in the State of Texas, Mr. Miranda began his Ph.D. studies at the LBJ School after 16 years of working as a geoscientist for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, where he helped develop of the state’s protocol for establishing Total Maximum Daily (pollutant) Loads for surface water bodies and also for developing watershed protection plans. Prior to his career with the State of Texas, Roger worked as a Production Geologist for several major oil companies in Dallas, Texas.
Research Focus: watershed management policy, energy and environmental policy
Stipica Mudrazija
Master's degree: MPP, Georgetown University, 2006.
Work Experience: Mr. Mudrazija has recently worked as a junior analyst in the research department of the Croation National Bank on matters related to national fiscal policy. Previously, he worked at the Center for Democracy and Civil Society at Georgetown University serving as the editor of the newsletter "Democracy and Society." Mr. Mudrazija was also a trainee at the Social Policy Unit of the European Commission's Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in Brussels.
Research Focus: economics of aging, social security policy, especially the relationship between public and private intergenerational transfers
Brian Muzas
Previous degrees: Rev. Muzas is a Catholic priest with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering (summa cum laude) from Princeton University, a masters in theology and masters in divinity from Seton Hall University, and a masters in aerospace engineering from CalTech.
Work Experience: Rev. Muzas is currently an adjunct professor at Seton Hall’s Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations where he teaches courses in comparative foreign policy, international conflict and security, and sustainable development.
Awards: UT's Office of Graduate Studies awarded Rev. Muzas one of its ten, or so, prestigious Harrington Doctoral Fellowships this year, the highest honor that the University bestows on promising PhD applicants.
Email: bkmuzas@alumni.princeton.edu
Research Focus: International security and defense systems; ethics.
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N-R
Angela Newell
Master's degree: MSPPM, Carnegie Mellon University.
Work Experience: Angela Newell is a Candidate for the Doctorate in Public Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on government information systems, small decision making groups, and the implementation of interactive Internet tools. Ms. Newell is a co-author of a successful National Science Foundation Science and Innovation Policy grant and is an author in the forthcoming book "The Internet in Everyday Life," edited by William Aspray and Barbara Hayes and published by the MIT press. Prior to attending the University of Texas, Ms. Newell was a scientific researcher contracted to the Department of Energy. She received her Master of Science from Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was also a recipient of the Lauble Fellowship. As a Lauble Fellow, Ms. Newell co-founded the flagship Computer Clubhouse of Pittsburgh. She is also the co-creator of an e-budget system for the Pittsburgh School District and researcher of CEMINA: Internet Radio Razil for the World Bank. Ms. Newell has directed community development initiatives and served as a two-year AmeriCorps member and as a National Service Fellow. She received two national awards, including the Josten's Our Town Award, for her work in community development.
For more information about Ms. Newell, please visit her web site at http://angelanewell.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
Research Focus: Information policy, community informatics, organizational development, and research methods.
Tara O
Stephen Palmer
Ian Partridge
Master's degree: Master in Management, MIT, 1978
Work Experience: Mr Partridge has worked for over 20 years in the oil and gas industry and is interested in pursuing research on energy and the environment. He makes the point that as output of conventional oil declines in the future, the demand for gas will continue to grow, but supplies will come from more distant sources and be based on more unconventional hydrocarbons (eg, tar sands, ethanol). All these developments, he argues, will result in higher emissions of greenhouse gases, forcing policy makers to face increasingly difficult challenges in balancing supply security against environmental protection. These issues will shape his dissertation research.
Research Focus: Mr Partridge will be working closely with Chip Groat and the Center for International Energy and Enviornmental Policy.
Rima Petrossian
Master's degrees: Interdisciplinary Master’s of Science (MS), 1992, Geology and Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces New Mexico.
Work Experience: Rima currently works at the Texas Water Development Board, managing the Groundwater Technical Assistance section in the Groundwater Resources Division. She previously worked for over 10 years with Radian International performing site investigations for a variety of clients concerned with groundwater, surface water, and soil contamination.
Research Focus:Her research interests include groundwater resource delineation and resource management, international and cross-boundary groundwater resources, environmental issues, groundwater resource economics, and climate change. She is focusing her research on the Texas Hill Country area.
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Eliezer Poupko
Master’s degree: Master of Public Affairs, LBJ School, 2009
Work Experience: Prior to coming to the LBJ School, Mr. Poupko received a J.D. degree from the University of Florida and worked in Florida and California as a pro bono attorney practicing in the fields of low-income housing and public assistance. His additional experience working with political campaigns, both in a legal capacity and as a field organizer, fueled his interest in studying democratic theory and elections. He has recently been a teaching assistant for a political campaigns course at UT.
Research focus: Areas of interest include comparative election law and administration, theories of political participation, and dilemmas of democratic governance.
S-Z
Todd Graham Smith
Master's degrees: JD, Emory University School of Law, 1994; MPAff, The University of Texas at Austin, 2009.
Work Experience: Before returning to academia, Mr. Smith worked in China and Ethiopia with the international medical humanitarian aid organization Médicins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders during 2003 and 2004. During the summer of 2008, Mr. Smith worked with Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust in Cape Town, South Africa where he authored the recently published tenth volume in Impumelelo’s Series of Best Practice, the second to focus on environmental programs. While pursuing his PhD, Mr. Smith is working as a research assistant with the Strauss Center on the Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) project. In what now seems like a previous life, Mr. Smith practiced law in Nashville, TN, for two years and worked in professional theatre and television New York and Los Angeles for the better part of a decade.
Research Focus: Poverty reduction, sustainable development, sustainable use of natural resources, and climate change adaptation, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
Laura Spagnolo
Master's degree: MPA, LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2005.
Work Experience: After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for three years as a research analyst at the Federal Investments Council, a public agency involved in decentralization and economic development of the Argentine provinces. Since 2005 she has been a researcher of the University of Texas Inequality Project (UTIP) working about pay inequality in Argentina and Brazil.
Research Focus: Her research interest focuses on pay inequality in Latin America.
Alexandra Stone
Master's degree: Science Policy, Georgetown University, 2006.
Work Experience: Ms. Stone is an adjunct research associate at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, which is a federally funded research center supprting the Executive Office of Science and Technology Policy. She works on a variety of issues related to technology innovation, science and technology competitiveness, R&D policy and public health. Ms. Stone also worked as a research associate at the Institute for Defence Analyses on projects related to the development of biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals, projects related to the development of biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals, infectious disease surveillance and public health emergency preparedness.
Research Focus: technology innovation, pharmaceutical development, transnational research and development policies, science and technology
http://alexandrastone.pbwiki.com/
Beibei Zou
Master's degree: Master of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University in Beijing, 2008.
Email: beibeizou@hotmail.com
Work Experience: Ms. zou worked from 2005 to 2008 as a Research Associate for the Center of Crisis Management Research. During that time, she also did the internship in the State Council of P.R. Chine for six months.
Research Focus: Financial Crisis Management, Economic Policy, Business-Government Relations
Click here to download a PDF of Ms. Zou's CV.
Wenjie Zhang
Master's degree: Master in Russian Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.
Work Experience: Before she came into the U.S., Ms. Zhang worked for China Central Television as a journalist.
Research Focus: In the Doctoral program, her research focuses on exploring the efect of the global financial crisis in China. She also works with Professor James Galbraith on the measurement of China's pay inequality.
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