AJA KENNEDY

Hello and welcome to my page.

My name is Aja Kennedy and I am a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and Public Policy at Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Research Fellow with Boston Indicators at the Boston Foundation. I am on the job market during the 2025/26 academic year.

My work is in urban and public economics, focusing on housing policy and social safety net programs. I also have strong interest in evaluating distributional impact of fiscal policy. Before pursuing my Ph.D. I was a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, serving tours in Hermosillo, Mexico and Bogotá, Colombia. I’m also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with two years of service in the beautiful Darién province of Panama. I have a master’s degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a B.A. in Spanish and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!).

After spending time as a policy practitioner, I am excited about having pivoted into research, where I can marry my quantitative training and interdisciplinary academic background with my government work experience and commitment to public service. I seek roles where I am able to conduct policy-relevant research, communicate findings, and advocate for the use of rigorous research in informing long term policy objectives.