I'm a Data Scientist at Code for America where I work on Tax Benefits, a team which builds tools like GetYourRefund and GetCTC that make tax filing and obtaining benefits easier for low income people. If you have ideas for research on tax filing or non-filers, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Previously, I worked on Clear My Record, a collaboration with states to automatically clear criminal convictions. For more on our criminal justice efforts, see the Clean Slate Initiative or this succinct oped in The Hill. For recent good news, see here.

Before starting at CFA, I completed a PhD in sociology at Stanford, affiliated with the Center on Poverty and Inequality. My academic work focuses on social mobility - how its changed, how to describe it, and its consequences for individuals.
I received my M.Sc. at Oxford University in 2011, and my BA at Sciences Po Paris in 2010. 
Coverage of our paper on The Fading American Dream: New York Times, Washington Post, Fivethirtyeight, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, National Review, The Hill, The Atlantic, Citylab, Salon, Daily Mail, CBS News, Pacific Standard, Brookings, Stanford News, Vox.

Feel free to contact me at mhell at codeforamerica dot org