2024-2025 IPD Research Fellows

Senior
Economics

Batul Mabruk is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s in Economics, a minor in Arabic, and a Spanish certificate. Batul is a co-author on the Government Responsiveness project, where she supervises a team of undergraduate IPD research assistants. Batul’s main interests are economic reform and policies, specifically in regards to public and environmental health. Outside of IPD, she has served as a Teaching Assistant for multiple economics courses at UT Austin. In her free time, Batul loves to visit new coffee shops, play tennis, and embroider.

Senior
Government | Psychology

Cece is excited to join the IPD lab through Sweetheart Tax Deals research. After working in Washington, D.C. this past summer for a Texas Representative, she found her passion working in the policy realm and researching legislation. Now, a senior at UT majoring in Government and Psychology, Cece hopes to continue learning about how policy decisions are determined and how constituents are impacted.

Junior
Economics | Geography

Emily Wang is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing degrees in Economics and Geography with a certification in Computer Science. She aims to apply her knowledge of technology and statistics, and explore opportunities in software development within the public sector to make a positive impact. Currently, she works as a Survey Statistician Trainee at the National Agricultural Statistics Service. At UT, she serves as the president of the UT Archery Club and contributes to research at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Institute for Public Development. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat, family, and friends, practicing archery, and learning guitar.

Senior
International Relations and Global Studies

Gabrielle Izu is a third-year International Relations and Global Studies major at UT Austin from Houston, Texas. Her involvement with the Innovations for Peace and Development Lab began in the Spring ’24 semester with the Data4Development team studying Sustainable Development Goals, and she is now excited to continue her involvement as a fellow this upcoming Fall! Gabrielle is especially honored to continue collaborating with engaging professionals on UT campus working in the field of international development. This past summer, Gabrielle also completed her tenure as a Critical Language Scholarship finalist in Arusha, Tanzania, where she spent 8 weeks learning Swahili at the MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MS-TCDC). At the end of her time in Arusha, Tanzania, she presented a final project in Swahili about the role of community stakeholders in education in non-metropolitan areas in Tanzania. Gabrielle hopes that she can use her recent experience as a Critical Language Scholarship finalist to inform her future aspirations in studying strategies for infrastructural development on the African continent. A specific interest of hers that her recent experiences with IPD and CLS have encouraged is understanding efficient strategies for NGO-government collaboration in Africa. Gabrielle is looking forward to her first year as an IPD Fellow and is already excited to learn from the collaborative environment!

Junior
Government | Economics

John Ory is a third-year student from Terrell, Texas, majoring in Government and Economics and pursuing a Public Policy certificate. This will be John’s 3rd year on the Trade War team where he has worked as a research assistant and undergraduate team lead. Outside of IPD, he spends most of his time on the Texas Speech team, where he specializes in extemporaneous speaking on the competitive collegiate circuit. In the future, John plans on staying in Austin and attending grad school here at the University of Texas. At home, he enjoys studying Texas history and spending time with his Pekingese, Biscuits.

Sophomore 
Journalism | Plan II

Judge is a second year student at UT from Austin, TX. He is pursuing majors in journalism and Plan II Honors with additional minors in history and French, and a Bridging Disciplines certificate in Ethics and Leadership in Law, Policy, and Government. Judge is excited to contribute to the renewable energy research team and incredibly passionate about sustainability. Judge aspires to be an environmental lawyer and, eventually, a policymaker. He hopes to shape the world’s political will in a way that will benefit future generations and build out comprehensive environmental policy. On campus, he works as a desk attendant at the Joynes Reading room, clerks for the Student Government Supreme Court, and volunteers at the UT Microfarm. Outside of school, Judge is a research intern at a non-profit called We Defend Truth that fights back against disinformation.

Senior
History | Government

Larson is a Third-Year History and Government major with a minor in Business and Public Policy that will be graduating this upcoming May. He is involved in a wide variety of other organizations on-campus including Beta Upsilon Chi, The Texas Orator, and the Liberal Arts Honors program. Outside of campus, Larson serves as a Legislative Aide in the Texas House of Representatives and is a partner at Midtown Christian Church. He is ecstatic to be returning to IPD for their inaugural fellowship program.

Junior
International Relations and Global Studies

Maddox Réal is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s in International Relations and Global Studies, with a BDP certificate in Human Rights and Social Justice, and a French minor. Prior to joining the Individuals in International Policymaking team, he was a research assistant for the Government Responsiveness team. His academic pursuits concern topics in genocide studies, post-colonial developments, human rights, and austerity measures. Outside of IPD, Maddox is dean appointed to serve on the Student Conduct Board, and interns for the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security. Looking ahead, Maddox plans on attending law school to pursue a J.D. degree, with the aim of specializing in comparative human rights law. In his spare time, Maddox enjoys dining out with friends, experimenting with coffee, and spending time with his cat.

M.A.
Economics

Orlando Di Leo is graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursing a master’s degree in economics. His fields of interest are public economics and energy economics. He has served as an intern for the Texas Comptroller’s Office in the Data Analysis & Transparency division, where he collaborated on financial transparency initiatives and economic incentives offered by the Texas government. His research experience includes studying the effects of the clean energy transition and carbon cap-and-trade programs on net employment in the United States. This is his second year as a part of the Sweetheart Tax Deals team.

Senior
International Relations and Global Studies | Race, Indegeneity, and Migration

Regina Cruz is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UT Austin. She is in the Liberal Arts Honors Program pursuing a double major in International Relations and Global Studies, and Race, Indigeneity, and Migration with a minor in History. Her research interests include humanitarian aid, Latin American affairs, human rights, and migration. For the past three years, Regina has worked as a research assistant on Dr. Denly’s Corruption Team, where she most recently served as co-lead of the Honduras Team. She will soon join the Philippines Team, continuing her focus on examining corruption and its impact on communities. Being part of the IPD has not only deepened her understanding of corruption but also strengthened her Spanish skills and enhanced her leadership and collaboration abilities. Regina looks forward to further developing these skills through the IPD Fellows Program and plans to attend law school after graduation.

Freshman
Statistics and Data Science

Suryabh Singh is a first-year undergraduate student pursuing Statistics and Data Science and hoping to double major in Business at the University of Texas at Austin. He is originally from Farmington, Connecticut. Suryabh is currently an IPD Research Fellow on the Government Responsiveness team. His major skills and interests lie in working with large amounts of data and data analysis and visualization, and he hopes to gain valuable experience and knowledge from expert faculty with this research experience. After graduating UT and receiving his masters, Suryabh is keen on entering a field of work related to his passions and to “Change the World” as a UT alumni.

Senior
Government

Ty is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a bachelor’s in government. At UT, he currently works on the Cyber Pacific Project and chairs the Election Supervisory Board. He was previously a member of the Global Disinformation Lab’s Mizaru team and has interned with the Houston City council. After graduation, Ty hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science.