Alvin Christian

I am a PhD candidate in Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan who studies how people make consequential decisions and how institutions and their policies shape those decisions. My primary work focuses on education: how students access and use support services, how information and beliefs shape schooling and labor market decisions, and how organizations—school districts, school boards, and universities—make decisions under uncertainty. I also study family and social issues, including domestic violence,  family stability, and criminal-legal churn.

My research has been supported by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and published in academic journals such as Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, American Educational Research Journal, and Oxford Economic Papers. It has been cited in White House reports and featured by media outlets such as The 74. My parents do not read it because it's "too long," but they say it looks professional and they're proud of me.

I will join the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2026.