Mary Quiroga

Welcome! I am an applied microeconomist specializing in labor and public economics. My current research explores the unexpected costs of a warming climate and the factors shaping decision-making around social safety net participation. I am a Ph.D. candidate in economics and public policy at the University of Michigan and will be on the 2025–26 job market. My work is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Rackham Merit Fellowship, the University of Michigan Department of Economics, and the Ford School of Public Policy. Before beginning my doctoral studies, I worked as a Research Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Research

The Effects of Heat on Teachers and Their Students (Job Market Paper)

Abstract: This paper provides the first evidence that extreme heat directly affects teachers, with consequences for student learning. Using matched student–teacher administrative data from North Carolina linked to high-resolution weather records, the analysis shows that older teachers, who are more sensitive to heat stress, experience greater productivity losses and higher absence rates during hot years. Students of older teachers see test score declines with each additional extreme heat day, effectively erasing the benefits of teaching experience. The cumulative impact of climate change–driven increases in heat is potentially large: equivalent to a shock on test scores comparable to Hurricane Katrina every two to five years.

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