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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 serve a student body of just over 100.

RAND researchers can become Pardee RAND faculty members by teaching courses, 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

A doctor talks to a girl whose arm is in a sling

A Threat to Immigrant Health Care with Potential Consequences for All

Oct 12, 2018

The proposed changes to the “public charge” rule could jeopardize decades of progress towards improved health care access and health for immigrants and U.S. citizens. Prof. Kathryn Pitkin Derose says negative effects may include worse health outcomes, increased use of emergency rooms, and increased prevalence of communicable diseases.

Bird scooters outside a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, July 23, 2018

A Better Way to Think About Scooters

Aug 28, 2018

Unleashed in Santa Monica last September, Bird and its competitors are now in more than 30 American cities—and are being met with new regulations and increased law enforcement. Student Tim McDonald (cohort '16) and Prof. Rob Lempert write that, if officials rely only on 20th-century tools to integrate these 21st-century scooters into their cities, they will miss a big opportunity.

Keeping Artificial Intelligence Accountable to Humans

Aug 20, 2018

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are often only as intelligent—and as fair—as the data used to train them. Prof. Osonde Osoba explains that, for AI that can free humans from bias instead of reinforcing bias, experts and regulators will need to think more deeply not only about what AI can do, but what it should do—and then teach it how.

Health care spending, money, medication, stethoscope

Understanding the Impact of the Elimination of the Individual Mandate Penalty

Aug 10, 2018

Starting in 2019, the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate penalty will be eliminated, effectively ending the law's requirement that most people have health insurance. Profs. Christine Eibner and Sarah Nowak write that, while declines in coverage and increases in premiums are likely, the magnitudes of these effects are highly uncertain.

A desk with 3D printing technology on top

Downloadable Guns and Other 3-D Printing Security Threats

Jul 31, 2018

Americans may soon be able to legally access blueprints for 3D-printed guns. But the growing opposition to them shows that potential security threats do not have to be inevitable, write student Luke Irwin (cohort '16) and professors Troy Smith and Trevor Johnston. The security challenges inherent in 3D printing could be addressed, while the development of industry norms can still be shaped.