Over the past 15 years of my academic career, I have rigorously researched labor market dynamics to understand how disruptive events such as - unemployment, inactivity, underemployment, and precarious employment - shape labor market inequalities both within one's lifetime and across generations. To understand this complex relationship, I build on sociological and labor economic theories and employ sophisticated quantitative methods that draw on longitudinal panel data sets (that is, data that follows the same individuals and households over time). For my work, I have used and analyzed data from countries such as Australia (the HILDA Survey), the U.S. (PSID), Germany (GSOEP), the Netherlands (OSA panel), the United Kingdom (BHPS and Understanding Society), and Spain (the Spanish Labor Force Survey).
My mission is to use this research to help reduce labor market disparities and promote economic opportunities for all.
Recent research projects include an Australian Research Council project which investigates the relationship between precarious employment and childbirth intentions and outcomes and an interdisciplinary project funded by an NHMRC Synergy Grant, which aims to develop policy and practice interventions to improve labor market outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Research Areas & Expertise
My major research contributions can be usefully categorised into one of the following three themes:
