Katharine Harris-Walls

After completing my undergraduate I served as an education policy analyst in the Texas House of Representatives. This experience highlighted the disconnect between policy decisions and empirical evidence. It left me questioning how research informs these policies and their impact on students and communities. This discrepancy fueled my decision to pursue a Ph.D., driven by a desire to understand and bridge the gap between empirical findings and policymaking. My goal is to unite rigorous research insights with effective policy implementation in the realm of education, fostering a more informed and impactful policy landscape.

​As a Graduate Research Assistant, I specialize in quantitative data analysis, employing econometric methods to derive meaningful insights from research data. My responsibilities also extend to extensive scholarly writing, including the preparation of research papers and presentations, which I then submit to academic journals and conferences to contribute to the academic discourse. Additionally, I play an integral role in the educational process by instructing and mentoring undergraduate students.