Her research is primarily in behavioral labor economics, focusing on differences in economic outcomes according to individual characteristics, such as gender, appearance, and race. Broadly, her work can be subdivided into two themes based on methodology. The first uses controlled experiments to identify the nuanced ways in which (typically incorrect) stereotypes can lead to differences in choices and ultimately cause inequalities in labor market outcomes. The second theme uses surveys and observational data to get at the same set of issues, focusing on the dynamics of the gender gap in academia. Across both types of research, she aims to identify institutional structures that prevent a movement toward equality and look for policies that can help to close gender gaps by changing institutions and preexisting (biased) beliefs, rather than by fundamentally changing women's (or men's) preferences.
Olga is an Associate Editor at the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. She also serves as the Eastern Representative on the Board of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) and on the Board of Editors of Feminist Economics.
Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Economist. She received her PhD in Economics from MIT in 2008.
