Rema Hanna is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Hanna is an NBER Research Associate, an affiliate of the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), and an affiliate at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Her research focuses on understanding how to improve the provision of public services in developing countries. For example, she is currently working on a project toassess the effectiveness of different methods for targeting the poor in Indonesia, and also analyzing data from a field experiment in rural Orissa, India,that looks at the impacts of “clean” cooking stoves on indoor air pollution and health.
Prior to joining the Kennedy School, Hanna was an assistant professor of public policy and economics at New York University. She holds a PhD in Economics from MIT and a BS from Cornell University.
Research Assistant Skills:Tasks for a research assistant might include basic literature reviews, writing, paper editing, or data analysis. Background in economics is a must, and experience in international development is helpful. Must have good writing skills and be willing to learn. Should be detail-oriented, flexible, and dependable. Experience with Stata or ArcGIS is a plus.

2011 Research Assistant Reflection:
I worked on two projects last spring. The first was a paper about environmental regulations in India; I contributed formatting, citations and a few rounds of edits. The second project was a survey intended to measure how the beliefs and biases of Indian college graduates who enter the Indian Civil Service differ from those who do not. I helped write, edit and format the main survey, as well as a follow-up to be administered a year later. This was an interesting project because I had to read all about the Indian Civil Service exam in order to ask accurate questions on the survey. Also, because they were aimed at college graduates seeking jobs, the survey questions I was writing eerily mirrored events going on in my own life. For instance, "How many jobs have you applied to in the last year?" or "Where would you like to live and work after you graduate?" It provoked a genuine curiosity in me to see the responses of my Indian counterparts.
Professor Hanna was extremely helpful during the interview process for the public health research position that I ultimately ended up taking. She gave me some advice and sent the research institute a letter on my behalf. I am extremely grateful for that.

-Luke Sperduto ‘11