Our Team

Malak is a research assistant for CLOSUP's Redistricting Project working to code data submitted to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). She is a junior at the Ford School majoring in public policy and minoring in…

Luca Kato is interning as a Fiscal Health Open Source Software Developer working on a tool for converting financial data into tagged XBRL format. He is set to graduate with a Bachelors in Computer Science in 2024. Luca is interested in financial…

Marc is a Research Assistant working on CLOSUP’s latest iteration of the Michigan Public Policy Survey focused on criminal justice. He is an undergraduate in the Ford School class of 2025 majoring in Public Policy. Marc is interested in local…

Deven is a Research Assistant with CLOSUP’s Michigan Local Recycling Policy Project. He is an undergraduate student (Class of 2025) majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Energy Science and Policy. Deven is most interested in sustainability…

Farah is a Policy Analyst for CLOSUP's Local Fiscal Health Project. She is an incoming masters student at the Ford School (Class of 2025) and has a B.S. degree in BHS and political science from the University of Michigan College of Literature,…

Edward Webre Plaut is the team lead for the CLOSUP team advising the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission on its public comment submissions for its 2024 redrawing of the Michigan State Senate Map. Eddie has a B.A. in history and…

Anna is an '24 MPP student passionate about social policy. Before the Ford school, she worked on early diversion programming in New York City. Previously she worked at the DC Public Defenders Service as an intern investigator for their Special…

Mustafa is assisting CLOSUP in conducting qualitative analysis on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. He is a Masters of Public Policy at the Ford School. He also served on the Secretary of State's team to support the…

Sylvia is a research assistant through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) assisting in supporting the current administration of the MPPS, as well as upcoming releases. She is from Miami, Florida and presently is a first-year…

Om is a research assistant supporting the release and analysis of CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey. He is currently an undergraduate student in the College of Literature, Science, and Arts, tentatively majoring in political science. Om is most…

Parker is a research assistant studying Michigan's Independent Redistricting Commission for the CLOSUP center. He is a junior at the Ford School with a concentration in the intersection of economics and criminal justice. He is interested in public…

Major is a research assistant studying Michigan's local and state recycling for CLOSUP's Michigan Local Recycling Policy Program. He is a dual masters student at the Ford School (Class of 2026) and at the School of Environment and Sustainability…

Jo is a Policy Analyst working to report data from CLOSUP's 2023 Michigan Public Policy Survey. She is a Masters student at the School for Environment and Sustainability (class of 2025), and has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of…

Sarrah Ahmed is a Policy Analyst working on the Fiscal Health project to create a tool for converting financial data into tagged XBRL format. She is set to graduate with a bachelor’s in information science and a minor in Public Policy in the Fall of…

Samantha is a Research Assistant helping to analyze the Michigan Public Policy Survey data for CLOSUP’s Function of Democracy Project. She is an undergraduate student planning to study public policy at the Ford School and eventually attend law…

Ava is a Research Assistant for CLOSUP, aiding in conducting case studies regarding municipal and state fiscal health for the Fiscal Health Project (FHP). She is a BA student at the Ford School of Public Policy. Prior to attending Ford, Ava interned…

Steve is a research assistant working on developing community-centered qualitative research designs on rural Michigan communities through CLOSUP's Fiscal Health project. He is expected to graduate in 2025 with a Master's in Public Policy and a…

Yu-Yu is a Research Assistant focusing on financial condition analysis for CLOSUP’s case studies. She is a dual master’s student at the Ford School of Public Policy and the School of Social Work (Class of 2025) and holds a B.A. in economics from…

Sydney is a research assistant through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) working to analyze and to contribute data to CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS). She is a current undergraduate student (Class of 2027) who…

Annelise is a Research Assistant supporting data management of CLOSUP’s Michigan Public Policy Survey. She is a master’s of public policy student at the Ford School (Class of 2026) and has a B.S. in psychology and a minor in social welfare from…

Brandon is a Graduate Student Research Fellow working for CLOSUP on the Michigan Public Policy Survey, investigating challenges to criminal justice reform. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan and…

Tristin is a research assistant working on CLOSUP’s “Close Up on the U.P” program. She is a third-year in the School of Information majoring in Information Analysis and minoring in Digital Studies. Tristin is interested in researching the…

Micaja Verna is a second-year Master of Public Policy Student at the Ford School. She has a B.A. degree in Law and Society with a minor in Human Rights Studies from CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Micaja is interested in social policy,…

Chelsea is a research assistant working for CLOSUP on the Michigan Public Policy Survey about attitudes toward criminal justice reform. She is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan and has a B.S. in…

Katrina is a Policy Analyst helping to standardize municipal finance data for CLOSUP’s Local Fiscal Health Project. She is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School (Class of 2025) and holds a B.A. in mathematics and history from Williams…