Pardee RAND Faculty

The Pardee RAND faculty is composed of a unique body of individuals. At many universities, some faculty members view teaching as a chore and try to "buy out of it" by obtaining research grants to cover their time. Because there are no teaching requirements at RAND, all Pardee RAND faculty members teach for only one reason: they love to.

Drawn principally from the doctoral staff of RAND's research units, Pardee RAND faculty members possess extensive experience both in conducting research and in teaching. A few distinguished scholars from outside RAND are also members of the faculty. Pardee RAND offers a faculty-student ratio that is probably among the best in the country. We have more than 220 faculty members who teach, mentor, and work side by side with a student body of just over 100.

RAND researchers can become Pardee RAND faculty members by teaching courses, mentoring and serving on dissertation committees, and/or supervising on-the-job training (OJT). Through these and other mechanisms, students have ready access to Pardee RAND's extensive faculty as well as RAND's staff of nearly 1,000 full-time researchers, who help with OJT and with dissertations.

Faculty Blog Posts

Farm workers pick tomatoes in the countryside near the town of Foggia, southern Italy, September 24, 2009, photo by Tony Gentile/Reuters

Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field

Sep 5, 2019

Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to horrible abuse. But Dean Susan Marquis explains that the same was true in the tomato fields of Florida in the United States until not too many years ago, and the solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by those who put food on the market shelves.

People play Pokémon Go at El Olivar park in the San Isidro district of Lima, Peru, September 2, 2016, photo by Mariana Bazo/Reuters

Augmented Reality on the Playground

Jul 10, 2019

As children's screen time increases, their time spent outdoors decreases. Prof. Deborah Cohen asks, how might new technologies merge with nature to help kids get outside and be more active?

College student using a laptop, photo by jacoblund/Getty Images

Federal Policy Might Encourage Innovation to Cut the Cost of College

Jun 5, 2019

A big factor in the rise of college costs is the traditional seat-time model requiring undergraduate students to spend a specified amount of time in classrooms, frequently with doctorally qualified faculty. Prof. Charles Goldman argues that alternative models such as online education could enable colleges and universities to offer degrees more efficiently and affordably.

Close-up of a person reading/texting on their smartphone, photo by sam thomas/Getty Images

Three Takeaways from RAND's Analysis of News in the Digital Age

May 14, 2019

How has the rise of digital technology shaped the way that news is presented? Student Mahlet Tebeka (cohort '17), alum Steve Davenport ('15), and professors Jennifer Kavanagh and Bill Marcellino conducted an empirical study to find out. Here's what you need to know from their findings.

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honor guards at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 28, 2019, photo by Parker Song/Reuters

Getting to Know the Competition

May 13, 2019

Americans are facing a new reality in global great power relations that will define the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. Prof. Cortez Cooper argues that understanding China's threat perceptions, while remaining clear-eyed regarding differences in objectives, is essential to developing strategies to deter conflict.