Saharnaz Babaei-Balderlou

Saharnaz is an Economics Lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned her PhD in Economics from the University of South Carolina. She is an applied economist studying how generative AI, instructional design, and institutional policies shape learning outcomes and labor market dynamics.

Her research combines causal inference, randomized experiments, and applied econometrics to evaluate education policy, workforce development programs, and emerging AI-enabled learning systems. She has conducted experimental studies on AI tutoring, peer collaboration, and human-AI interaction in classroom environments to better understand how technology affects skill formation and student learning.

Her broader research agenda focuses on the intersection of education, technology, and labor markets, including the effects of policy design, incentives, and workplace environments on human capital development and workforce outcomes. She is particularly interested in translating rigorous empirical research into insights that inform educators, policymakers, and organizations adopting AI-driven tools for learning and workforce training.