Elise Marifian

Elise Marifian is a Ph.D. Candidate in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Training Program (ITP) in Education Sciences, and a Research Affiliate at the SSTAR Lab. She is also a Graduate Research Fellow at the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) and a Pre-Doctoral Trainee at the Center for Demography and Ecology at UW-Madison. Her current research projects examine how college advertisements impact demand for higher education and how universal pre-K policies affect mothers’ labor supply decisions. At the SSTAR Lab she explores various dimensions of need-based financial aid, including the enrollment effects of Bucky’s Tuition Promise (BTP) and the relationship between unmet financial need and academic persistence. Before arriving to UW-Madison, Elise earned a Master of Arts in Economics and Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College and worked as a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She completed her BA at Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in Economics and Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys singing, live theater, and spending time with friends, family, and her new dog.