Georgia State Economics Students Honored Nationally for Policy Research

ATLANTA — Four students from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies (AYS) at Georgia State University were selected as recipients of the Equity and Inclusion Fellowship at the 2025 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) conference. The fellows were recognized for their academic achievements and commitment to advancing equitable and transformative policy solutions.

Ph.D. candidates Nikita Dhingra, Zachariah Emmanuel and Olanrewaju Yusuff, along with undergraduate student Tanay Dhuldhoya, traveled to Seattle, Wash., with AYS Associate Dean Cathy Liu to attend the conference, held Nov. 13-15.

APPAM is the premier professional association for the public policy research community, with its annual flagship conference convening thousands of academics, practitioners and students. The theme for APPAM’s 47^th Annual Fall Research Conference, Forging Collaborations for Transformative and Resilient Policy Solutions, highlighted the importance of diverse perspectives in policymaking, bringing academics from diverse backgrounds together to collaborate on more efficient and equitable policies that address the complexities of our society.

“I’m very pleased to see three of our doctoral students and one undergraduate student selected as this year’s APPAM Equity and Inclusion Fellowship recipients,” Liu said. “This is a strong testament to their hard work and dedication to public policy research and the support of their faculty mentors and academic programs. This fellowship enables them the opportunity to network with peers and researchers in the field and I believe is an experience that will inspire them into the future.”

All four fellows study in the Department of Economics at the Andrew Young School.

“I am very proud of these students and of our department’s continued contributions to APPAM,” said James Marton, chair of the Department of Economics. “Being housed within a public policy school allows our program to take an applied economics approach that prepares engaged, driven students to address real policy challenges — just like these outstanding fellows.”

Dhingra is a fourth-year Ph.D. student whose research emphasizes the intersectionality of health economics, environmental economics and developmental economics with a focus on how external forces shape women’s health, labor market outcomes and agency across both developed and developing countries.

After completing his Ph.D. at the Andrew Young School, Emmanuel's goal is to become a research-oriented professor focusing on applied microeconomics, particularly in health, maternal well-being and poverty alleviation.

“Growing up in a low-income community shaped my interest in understanding how economic disadvantages influence health outcomes, access to care and intergenerational mobility,” he said.

Ph.D. candidate Yusuff's research focuses on how access to healthcare infrastructure affects population health, with a focus on access to mental health treatment facilities, emergency medical services and maternal healthcare. Beginning in spring 2026, Yusuff will teach health economics as the primary instructor at Georgia State, which represents an important step toward his career goal of becoming a professor who bridges rigorous empirical research with practical policy applications.

After graduation, undergraduate student Dhuldhoya plans to pursue a career in applied economics and public policy with a focus on labor markets and education. When asked about his time as an AYS student, Dhuldhoya said, “I’ve been able to work closely with professors on research and engage in applied projects that have given me exposure to real policy questions early on in my academic career. This combination of rigorous coursework and hands-on research experience has provided me with a strong base for what I want to do in the future.”

The accomplishments of these economics students reflect the strong research culture and rigorous academic training at the Andrew Young School. AYS’ commitment to high-quality research and student success have ranked it 16th nationally among public affairs programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.

— Story by Grace Toland, Coverdell Fellow, Urban Studies Institute, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies