Ankita Patnaik studies programs that support people who face complex challenges to employment and economic security, including families with low incomes and people with disabilities. She is particularly interested in designing and conducting evaluations that can provide reliable evidence on the effectiveness of such programs in improving participants’ lives.
Patnaik currently leads several projects and impact studies. She is the project director of the Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum project and the Evaluation of the Refugees with Disabilities Employment Demonstration project. She leads the impact study and benefit-cost study of the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network Evaluation, and she was the evaluation lead on the Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income Evaluation . She has also played key roles in family support research projects such as the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations, the Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services Evaluation, and the Parents and Children Together Evaluation.
Patnaik’s work has been published in the Journal of Labor Economics and Evaluation Review and cited in press publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She has presented her research at various forums and conferences, including a congressional briefing in 2016. Patnaik holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University.
It is more critical than ever to equip young people – including those with disabilities – with the skills and supports they need to forge a path toward meaningful employment and economic self-sufficiency.
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