Lynch School's Shaun M. Dougherty named senior advisor at U.S. Department of Education

Post is within DOE's Office of the Chief Economist

Shaun M. Dougherty, professor and program director for research and evaluation methods in the Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment Department at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, has been named a senior advisor in the Office of the Chief Economist, located within the Office of the Undersecretary at the United States Department of Education.

Dougherty, who is on leave from the Lynch School, began his one-year appointment in May.  His responsibilities include economic analysis and providing guidance on policy related to education.

“I’m grateful for the chance to serve the Biden-Harris administration, and to the ֱ community for providing the space to share my expertise in another setting in the spirit of service,” said Dougherty.

The Office of the Chief Economist provides analysis and advice to guide real-time higher education policy while building a culture of experimentation, including partnerships with leading social science researchers to pilot-test new ways to serve students and borrowers. The staff serves as liaisons to the research community so that leading researchers’ insights and evidence inform their agenda, and the office can build the evidence and research base on how best to strengthen education.

“We’re excited that Shaun Dougherty has been appointed to this important position in the U.S. Department of Education,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “It recognizes his important research on policy-relevant issues and reflects very well on Boston College to have him on our faculty.”