Lauren Gilbert

Education

MPP, Georgetown University

BA, American University

Lauren Gilbert is a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR). Her research focuses on the careers and long-term job outcomes of people with disabilities (PWDs). She seeks to understand what sorts of management practices, environments, and other circumstances can maximize both the employment opportunities for PWDs and their long-term objective and subjective career success.

To do this, she uses a mixed-methods methodology that involves both quantitative and qualitative methods. On the quantitative side, Lauren has used panel data methods, such as fixed and random effects, and latent profile analysis. Her quantitative research uses thematic and content analysis to understand data drawn from interviews and documents. One subset of her research focuses on vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and both aspects of policy that influence their effectiveness and particular techniques that VR staff use to help PWDs find employment.

Before she joined Rutgers University, she received her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and worked at Business for Impact on a contract with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), where she did research on demand-side disability employment efforts and managed the McDonough School of Business’s Disability Inclusion Forum, an opportunity for disability service providers, businesses and university students and faculty to learn from each other. She has also worked with a nonprofit called RespectAbility (now Disability Belongs) on efforts to engage with businesses and government on increasing disability employment.