We ask complex, open-ended questions.
Focus on Impact
Our focus is on pivotal, unanswered questions, drawing on the strengths of traditional academic research with the operational experiences of Silicon Valley’s startup community, to fill knowledge gaps.
Driving new discussions
Research institutions can be better than they are today. From methodology to results, our work is designed to be comprehensive and accessible. We think of research as a public good. We aim to share data, findings, and insights widely to inspire new discussions and share our datasets to benefit the research community.
Within the bigger picture
We are an independent research organization that provides scientific freedom for researchers and leads with questions, not conclusions. We partner with individuals, nonprofits, and academic institutions to achieve and communicate the most comprehensive and nuanced outcomes.
A new model for research grounded in real-world questions
Leading OpenResearch's Unconditional Income Study from feasibility pilots and research design to implementation and findings dissemination
Our core team prioritizes impact-orientation, balancing curiosity with academic rigor.
Tess Cotter
Strategy & Operations Manager
OpenResearch
Aristia Kinis
Director of Strategy & Operations
OpenResearch
Patrick Krause
Data Director
OpenResearch
Joshua Lin
Data Associate
OpenResearch
Yesenia Vargas
Qualitative Researcher
OpenResearch
OpenResearch works side-by-side with interdisciplinary academic partners to enrich our work.
Alex Bartik
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Research Affiliate of the Poverty Lab at the University of Chicago
David Broockman
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley
Sarah Miller
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan
Sandra Smith
Qualitative Principal Investigator
Daniel & Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Eva Vivalt
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto
Jessica Wiederspan
Qualitative Principal Investigator
Senior Qualitative Researcher, PhD in Sociology and Social Work from the University of Michigan
An assembly of experts guides our research.
Marianne Bertrand
Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Willard Graham Faculty Scholar at the University of Chicago
Ed Dolan
Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center
Greg Duncan
Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine
Natalie Foster
Co-chair of the Economic Security Project
David Grusky
Barbara Kimball Browning Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Professor of Sociology, Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Director of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, and coeditor of Pathways Magazine
Lawrence Katz
Elisabeth Allison Professor of Economics at Harvard University
Connie Razza
Executive Director at Future Currents
Rachel Schneider
Omidyar Network Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (FSP)
Luke Shaefer
Director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Eldar Shafir
Class of 1987 Professor in Behavioral Science and Public Policy, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Inaugural Director of the Kahneman-Treisman Center for Behavioral Science & Public Policy at Princeton University
Sandra Smith
Daniel & Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Michael Strain
Director of Economic Policy Studies and John G. Searle Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
Tavneet Suri
Associate Professor of Applied Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management
Alford Young, Jr.
Associate Director of Center for Social Solutions, Arthur F Thurnau Professor, Edgar G. Epps Collegiate Professor of Sociology, Professor of Afroamerican and African studies, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan