Welcome!

I am a PhD Candidate in Economics at Georgia Tech. I am an applied microeconomist specializing in Development Economics and the Economics of Migration, with a focus on data-scarce settings. 

In my JMP, I develop an method for inferring cross-border migration events from cell phone call records. I use it to estimate the impact of insurgent violence on the likelihood of international migration.

In other projects, I study how access to mobile internet alters important choices for migrants and their families, as well as the effects of strict immigration enforcement on the well-being of immigrants. With support from my institution, I traveled to Liberia to seek partners for field experiments to study the ongoing expansion of mobile networks.

I will be joining the Department of Economics and Legal Studies at Seton Hall University as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025.

Curriculum vitae: here

email: ryan.ellis@gatech.edu