Riley Acton

Welcome! I am the Frank H. Jellinek Jr. Endowed Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Miami University (yes, the one in Ohio) and a Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). This summer, I will join the Department of Economics at Bowdoin College as an Assistant Professor. 

My research focuses on the economics of education, but frequently spans topics in labor, public, and health economics as well. Broadly, I am interested in how students, families, and institutions make decisions about education, what those decisions mean for individuals and society, and how public policy shapes — and is shaped by — all of the above.

Before joining the faculty at Miami, I earned my Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University and my B.S. in economics and mathematics from Ursinus College.