This summer, we’re celebrating all CU Boulder graduates who spent time at the Institute of Behavioral Science! First up is Elizabeth Sorensen Montoya.
Montoya received her Ph.D. in Economics this May. She was a graduate research assistant (GRA) for the CU Population Center and worked with the Health & Society (H&S) Program. Montoya is currently working with Tania Barham, H&S director, and Lori Hunter, IBS director, and their research on the impact of extreme weather events on aging and health.
“Elizabeth is a creative thinker and willing to innovate when it comes to finding and using the data to answer important research questions. She has brought together social, health, and environmental data to grapple with questions of tremendous importance to health and well-being in our environmentally-stressed world.” – Lori Hunter
In addition to her work at IBS, Montoya gained valuable teaching experience as a teaching assistant and graduate part-time instructor. She taught undergraduate courses such as Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics, and Environmental Economics. In her roles, she supported more than 100 students each semester, coordinated with professors to develop curriculum materials, and implemented active learning strategies to engage her students.
Reflecting on how her time at IBS impacted her education, Montoya shared that IBS provided both practical experience and resources that advanced her research goals.
“I learned how to work effectively with colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds, which strengthened both my research design and my ability to speak to broader audiences. IBS also provided access to resources, like data infrastructure, that allowed me to pursue ambitious projects I might not have attempted otherwise.” – Elizabeth Sorensen Montoya
Montoya’s access to IBS’s data infrastructure was key to her paper, “Birth outcome effects of nitrate contamination in drinking water.” This will be Montoya’s first published paper for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. Montoya also earned several accolades during her graduate studies, including the Third Year Paper Award and the Graduate Award for Public Policy Research.
In the fall, Montoya will begin her next chapter as an assistant professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. We look forward to seeing all the incredible things Elizabeth will accomplish as she continues her career!