Encourages students to think creatively.
David Phillips is a Research Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame, where he has served since 2016 in progressively senior roles and became Director of Research in 2024. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Georgetown University in 2012, an M.A. in Economics from the same institution in 2009, and a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Butler University in 2007. Before joining Notre Dame as Assistant Research Professor, Phillips was Assistant Professor of Economics and Business at Hope College from 2012 to 2016. Additional appointments include Faculty Fellow at the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate since 2021, Special Sworn Status with the U.S. Census Bureau since 2021, Faculty Affiliate and Scientific Advisor on Homelessness and Housing Stability for the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), and Visiting Scholar at the University of California Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment in Fall 2022.
Phillips's research focuses on poverty in the United States, particularly housing subsidies, public transit, criminal justice, urban geography, and low-wage labor markets, utilizing field experiments and quasi-experimental methods in collaboration with service providers. Key publications include "Do Homelessness Prevention Programs Prevent Homelessness? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial" (Review of Economics and Statistics, 2025, with J.X. Sullivan), "Eliminating Fares to Expand Opportunities: Experimental Evidence on the Impacts of Free Public Transportation on Economic and Social Disparities" (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2025, with R. Brough and M. Freedman), "High Schools Tailored To Adults Can Help Them Complete a Traditional Diploma and Excel in the Labor Market" (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2024, with R. Brough and P. Turner), "Personalizing Homelessness Prevention: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial" (Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2024, with J.X. Sullivan), and "Reducing Re-arrests through Light Touch Mental Health Outreach" (Journal of Urban Economics, 2025, with M.K. Batistich and W.N. Evans). His work has appeared in leading journals such as Regional Science and Urban Economics and Journal of Public Economics. Phillips has received the Razin Prize for Best Dissertation Paper (Georgetown University, 2012), Towsley Research Scholar Runner-Up (Hope College, 2014), and Dissertation Defended with Distinction (2012). He referees for top economics journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics and American Economic Review, and reviews grants for the National Science Foundation and others. His research influences policies on homelessness prevention and transportation equity.
