Laura R. Sullivan

I am a PhD candidate at Cornell University in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. My research is focused on housing, neighborhoods, and local governments. I am especially interested in how policies shape places and the implications policy decisions have for individual residential mobility decisions and macro-level patterns of segregation and inequality. I am an interdisciplinary scholar trained in sociological and demographic theory who uses quantitative, qualitative, and spatial methods to answer policy-relevant questions.

Prior to my doctoral studies, I was a Research Analyst in the Center of Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute where I worked on a diverse set of policy-relevant projects, including how cities can support mobility from poverty and access to safety net programs. Before working at the Urban Institute, I received my Master of Public Administration degree from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington and a BS in Human Physiology with a minor in Biology from Gonzaga University.

I am on the 2025-2026 job market.