Aarti Iyer
Senior Social Scientist @Us Environmental Protection Agency Epa
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WORK HISTORY
Senior Social Scientist @Us Environmental Protection Agency Epa
Washington, DC, US
Strengthen executive decision-making and spear-head program improvements across $10 billion federal agency protecting human health and environment, reporting to EPA Evaluation Officer. Create evaluation strategy to assess effectiveness and efficiency of programs and initiatives. Oversee research process and workflow to collect, analyze, and report quantitative/qualitative data from surveys, focus groups, interviews, and document/desk reviews. Key highlights include:Demonstrated Program Improvements* Sparked efficiency gain of staff hours across 15 grant programs, directing team of 4 to create new performance reporting framework for improved data quality, program management, and oversight.* Subject Matter Expert on evaluation and evidence-building best practices across 27 EPA programs, with 81% returning for additional technical and strategic project leadership.* Spear-headed EPA strategy to design information collection activities that comply with the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act, with 30+ grant programs obtaining approval from the Office of Management and Budget.Trusted Executive Leadership* Cultivated use of automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive efficiency, co-leading team of 40+ staff to establish governance framework, use cases, training program, strategic partnerships, and evaluation plans.* Advised Chief Financial Officer, Chief Data Officer, Evaluation Officer, and senior leadership on use of evidence to improve decision-making, communicating research results and insights via briefings, memoranda, and reports.* Led national engagements with external stakeholders, including states, Tribes, community groups, and the public.Appointed as Social Scientist in 2022, promoted to Senior Social Scientist in 2024.
EDUCATION
University of California, Santa Cruz
PhD
Swarthmore College
BA
ABOUT AARTI IYER
As an award-winning research and evaluation expert, I have delivered a wide range of strategic programs for leading institutions including Global Top 100 universities (University of Sheffield and University of Queensland) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Across my work in academia and government, I have showcased my ability to quickly master new topics and issue areas across psychology, sociology, political science, education, economics, government, and environmental science.As Senior Social Scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I was instrumental in improving decision-making across this $10 billion federal agency. I created and implemented program evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of enterprise programs and initiatives. I also introduced standards and best practices for program evaluation and performance measurement across 30+ EPA programs, earning numerous awards for my contributions. Most recently, I championed the use of automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive efficiency.I previously served as a senior leader and professor at the University of Sheffield and the University of Queensland. I led multidisciplinary research teams to secure US $1.8 million in research grants and publish 61 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. I earned global recognition for research excellence, with awards and honors from academic professional societies (e.g. European Association of Social Psychology, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues) and invitations to serve as Associate Editor for highly-regarded academic journals including Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Top 1%) and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (Top 5%).Throughout my career, I have cultivated trust with C-Suite executives and senior university leaders, aligning research and evaluation programs with large-scale strategic objectives to deliver key insights to improve operations and decision-making. I am a solution-focused coalition builder, experienced at collaborating with clients, academics, students, community organizations, business partners, and the public. I am also highly skilled at developing and delivering written and oral communications to diverse audiences, including academics, students, executive leaders, external partners, and the public.
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