Steven W. Hemelt

Steven W. Hemelt is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in the economics of education, education policy, labor economics, and program evaluation. He holds affiliations with the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), CESifo Research Network, and the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). His research focuses on policy-driven factors influencing student trajectories, particularly during critical transitions like high school to college, to enhance economic and educational outcomes while reducing sociodemographic disparities. Hemelt’s work has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Science Foundation (NSF), and prominent private foundations.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Spanish (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
• Master’s in Economic Policy Analysis (UMBC)
• Ph.D. in Public Policy (UMBC)

Research Interests: Hemelt’s research examines how policies and programs impact student pathways, postsecondary success, labor market outcomes, and educational equity. He analyzes interventions like enhanced advising, dual-credit programs, and telemedicine in schools to improve access and achievement. His work bridges policy design and evaluation, with a focus on marginalized populations.

Awards:

• APPAM PhD Dissertation Award (2010)

Advising & Grants: Hemelt’s research has been supported by major grants from IES, NSF, and foundations like Spencer and Russell Sage. He has advised students at UNC Chapel Hill and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Cornell College and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Michigan. His teaching focuses on research design, causal inference, and quantitative analysis.

Labs/Teams: Active roles include Research Fellow at IZA, Fellow at CESifo, and Senior Researcher at CALDER. He has contributed to editorial boards of Education Finance and Policy and the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP).