I am a PhD student in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Human Development & Family Studies. I graduated summa cum laude from Carleton College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, where I served as a prefect for microeconomic and macroeconomic courses. Prior to beginning my PhD, I spent 10 years conducting and managing mixed methods research in corporate, nonprofit, and academic settings. During this time I served as director of research at a market research firm, overseeing 10 researchers and a $10 million portfolio; helped manage a research lab on substance use disorder at the University of Kentucky; cleaned and analyzed large quantitative datasets as a research assistant at an economic consulting firm; and worked with state policymakers to improve disability employment policies and programs at a public policy nonprofit. I also served as an environment and food security educator in the Peace Corps in Malawi.
My research focuses on understanding the ways that child, family, and contextual factors interact to influence child anxiety, with the goal of informing prevention and intervention efforts. I received a competitive Kemper Knapp Graduate School Fellowship to support my first year of graduate studies.

Department
- Human Development & Family Studies
Degree Program
- PhD Human Ecology: Human Development & Family Studies
Education
- BA, Economics, Carleton College
Contact
Email: egurney2@wisc.edu