Dr. Lauren Russell is a Professor of Practice and the Penny and Robert A. Fox Director at the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 2017 and was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College where she managed the Class of 1964 Policy Research Shop from 2017 to 2019. Her research uses quasi-experimental methods to study issues of higher education finance, college pricing, and policies to address educational inequities. Her research has been published in a number of peer-reviewed academic journals, covered by national and state media, and referenced in testimony and reports to Congress, including the 2023 Economic Report of the President.

At Fels, Dr. Russell teaches economics and data analysis courses. She also manages Fels Lab which connects Fels students with capstone projects that serve the real-world needs of nonprofit organizations and government entities.

Dr. Russell has been recognized for both her teaching and her research. She was awarded the Fels Institute of Government Teaching Award in 2020 and 2022 and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Graduate Programs in 2022. She received the Ray Vernon Memorial Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management in 2023.