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

Clear piggy bank with coins and red medical case, photo by Altayb/Getty Images

Alum and Prof Present Options for Designing a Public Option

May 28, 2020

State and federal policymakers are considering adding state-backed public options to the individual market in an effort to expand health coverage and improve affordability. Alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and Prof. Christine Eibner analyzed what would happen if public options became available in U.S. health insurance exchanges.

A man carries food donated by Alianza Ecuatoriana International at a food pantry in Queens, New York, May 16, 2020, photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Alum and Prof: Emergency COVID-19 Aid Helps College Students with Food and Housing

May 26, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the pool of cash-strapped college students, but many were already struggling. Alum Lindsay Daugherty (cohort '05) and Prof. Drew Anderson say the crisis could draw attention to food and housing insecurity among college students, and give college leaders a chance to consider how to address these needs more systematically over the long-term.

People have lunch at a restaurant that reopened with plastic barriers and social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 8, 2020, photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with Pardee RAND Faculty

May 26, 2020

The phrase “flatten the curve” familiarized millions of Americans with epidemiological models used to estimate virus transmission, cases, and potential deaths from COVID-19. But Profs. Jeanne Ringel and Raffaele Vardavas say new models are needed as the country enters a different stage of the crisis, one in which changed behaviors must be taken into account.

Crowds gather at Buffalo Bayou Park as social distancing guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19 are relaxed in Houston, Texas, May 4, 2020, photo by Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters

Profs: Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Health and Economic Choices

May 18, 2020

RAND's new publicly available COVID-19 interventions impact tool uses epidemiological and economic models and continually refreshed data to estimate what could happen as restrictions are eased. Professors Ringel, Vardavas, and Strong say the tool—which they developed with the help of five Pardee RAND students—cannot make the choices confronting state leaders less painful, but it can provide clear evidence-based estimates of the health and economic trade-offs.

A laboratory technician working on research for a vaccine against COVID-19 in Bern, Switzerland, April 22, 2020, photo by Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Profs: Blueprint Needed for a Post-Vaccine World

May 11, 2020

When a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, many in rich countries may be able to afford it while the poor and uninsured may not. In poor countries, most people won't be able to pay. Professors Krishna Kumar and Chris Nelson say the time to plan for equitable access, financing, intellectual property rights, and global production is now.