Laura Ruiz

Laura Ruiz-Gaona is a Research Manager at J-PAL North America, where she manages multiple research projects through Research Management Support (RMS) and collaborations with program implementers. Laura’s work also focuses on partnerships between the different agencies in Puerto Rico and research teams to increase the use of evidence to inform policy. Laura has experience across different sectors including health, education, technology, and housing. She also works in the Racial Equity team to incentivize the discussion about racial and ethnic equity in the field of economics.

Prior to joining J-PAL in 2022, she worked at the World Bank as a Health Economics Consultant focusing on digital health and impact evaluation. Laura holds an MS in applied economics from University of Maryland and a BA in economics from Universidad de los Andes. She is fluent in Spanish (native), English, Portuguese, and French.