Eliza Forsythe

Eliza Forsythe is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, holding dual appointments in the School of Labor and Employment Relations and the Department of Economics. She specializes in labor economics, focusing on unemployment insurance, minimum wage policies, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor markets. Her research addresses disparities in UI recipiency, labor market dynamics during recessions, and occupational mobility patterns.

Education: Ph.D. in Economics from MIT (2014), B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Mills College (2008). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Upjohn Institute. Her roles include Director of Doctoral Admissions in Economics and DEI/Climate Officer in the Economics Department.

Research Interests:

• Unemployment Insurance and Social Safety Nets
• Minimum Wage Policies and Labor Market Effects
• Cyclical Labor Market Dynamics
• Demographic Disparities in Employment
• Covid-19 Labor Market Impacts

Recent work highlights include studies on UI recipiency disparities during the pandemic, firm-level recruiting behavior, and occupational mobility within firms. Her research has been covered in outlets like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio.

Awards include the SOLE Fellows Award (2018) and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2008-2011). She actively contributes to academic service, including the LERA Executive Board and refereeing for top journals like the Quarterly Journal of Economics and American Economic Review.