Welcome!
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration at Syracuse University. I study how place-based policies and neighborhood conditions affect children and communities, particularly through public housing, schools, and crime. To answer these questions, I use experimental and quasi-experimental methods, large-scale, linked administrative datasets, and geospatial analysis.
Before coming to Syracuse, I earned an M.S. in Applied Economics from ITAM in Mexico City, where I also worked as a research assistant at the Center for Competitiveness Studies.
I am on the 2026-27 job market.
You can contact me at mscervan@syr.edu or samanthacbrav@gmail.com
