Team

PRISE Lab group photo

Faculty

Photo of Dr. Erin Litzow

Dr. Erin Litzow

Applied economist

Environmental, development, and energy economics. Research across 11 countries in Africa and Latin America. Affiliated with Duke Energy Access Project and Environment for Development.

Website · erin.litzow@utdallas.edu

Photo of Dr. Elías Cisneros

Dr. Elías Cisneros

Environmental economist

Political economy of land-use change and deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia. Remote sensing and causal analysis methods.

Website · elias.cisneros@utdallas.edu

Graduate Student Researchers

Photo of Sonali Singh

Sonali Singh

PhD candidate, Public Policy & Political Economy

Climate variability, human capital, and political economy. Research on extreme heat and educational outcomes, weather shocks in India, and patent reforms in emerging markets. UT System Graduate Archer Fellow and NSF-funded EITM Scholar.

Kayleigh Tompkins

Graduate student, Public Policy & Political Economy

LinkedIn · kayleigh.tompkins@utdallas.edu

Mamie Cincotta

Graduate student, Public Policy & Political Economy

Mamie.Cincotta@utdallas.edu

Deena Essa

Graduate student, Public Policy & Political Economy

deena.essa@utdallas.edu

Yiqun Yu

Graduate student, Economics

LinkedIn · Yiqun.Yu@utdallas.edu

Partha Chowdhury

Graduate student, Political Science

Partha.Chowdhury@utdallas.edu

Undergraduate Student Researchers

Photo of Aria Abhyankar

Aria Abhyankar

Undergraduate student, International Political Economy

Senior thesis on the U.S. prison system and environmental quality. UTD Sustainability Honors recipient (2025) with a full scholarship for study abroad in Amsterdam and Brussels on international law and politics. Chaired the SEPPS Dean’s Council; graduating summa cum laude in May 2026.

Aria.Abhyankar@utdallas.edu

Photo of Joey Rogers

Joey Rogers

Undergraduate student

LinkedIn · Joseph.Rogers2@utdallas.edu

Nyma Anisa Ehtesham

Undergraduate student, International Political Economy

Nyma.Ehtesham@utdallas.edu

We are always looking for motivated students. If you are interested in joining the lab, reach out to either faculty member.