Stephen Roll

Stephen Roll is an active Assistant Professor at the Brown School of Washington University in St. Louis, serving as Co-Director of Research and Policy Innovation at the Center for Social Development. His work centers on asset building, debt management, and economic security for lower-income populations through cash transfers, child savings initiatives, and benefits program analysis, with policy briefings delivered to the White House, Senate, and U.S. Supreme Court.

Education:

• PhD, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University

Roll's research examines how cash transfer programs (including Expanded Child Tax Credit and Guaranteed Income experiments across Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri) impact household financial stability and mobility. His flagship project tracks long-term outcomes of $5,000 investments for 300 low-income 7th graders in St. Louis, while pandemic-era studies analyze retirement account withdrawals and mental health correlations. Methodologically, he emphasizes real-world policy evaluations and large-scale field experiments.

His publication record shows sustained focus on financial well-being metrics and cash transfer efficacy since 2018. Recent activity (2021-2025) centers on pandemic-related economic shocks and guaranteed income pilots, indicating a trajectory toward immediate policy intervention research with increasing government engagement.

Scientific Awards:

Advising and Grants: While no specific students or grant awards are listed, Roll leads multiple federally relevant studies including a 10-year child investment evaluation and multi-state guaranteed income experiments. These projects imply substantial grant management capacity, particularly around wealth-building policy trials and pandemic economic impact assessments.

Labs and Teams: Roll co-directs the Research and Policy Innovation division at the Center for Social Development, directing teams conducting field experiments on cash transfers and asset-building programs. His current work integrates researchers from Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri for state-level guaranteed income evaluations, with St. Louis serving as a primary longitudinal study site.