PPIC Research Affiliate

Jennifer Paluch is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California. She worked for several years on the PPIC Statewide Survey. Before joining PPIC, she was a researcher at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory and an instructor at San Diego State University. She holds an MA in geography from San Diego State.

Tomas Lopez is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he examines PK–12 education. His research focuses on bilingual education, early literacy, and child care. Prior to joining PPIC, he was a summer institute researcher at the University of California, Berkeley California Policy Lab, where he analyzed housing access among millennials and Generation Z. He holds a BS in mathematics-economics from the University of California, San Diego.

Spencer Cole is a research associate with thePPIC Water Policy Center. His research interests include the role of water trading, groundwater banking, and reservoir management strategies in limiting groundwater overdraft, as well as drought impacts for agricultural economies. Prior to joining PPIC, he worked as a junior specialist and graduate student researcher for the University of California, Merced School of Environmental Engineering, with a focus on agricultural modeling. He holds a BS...

Mandi Acevedo is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she works on criminal justice issues. Her prior research focuses on the intersection of race, police brutality, and public opinion. She is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown University and holds a BA in political science from the University of Florida.