Niall Newsham is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geography at the University of California at Santa Barbara. His research focuses on analysing spatial and temporal features of demographic change, with a focus on population decline, low fertility and mobility trajectories. His recent works have developed machine learning models to forecast population change outcomes in small geographic areas across Europe. He previously completed his PhD in Human Geography from the University of Liverpool, and his MS in Demography from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as part of the European Doctoral School of Demography.

Reetika Sindhi is a Ph.D student in Economics at UC Santa Barbara. She holds an MSc. in Economics from Shiv Nadar University, India, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Delhi, India. Her primary research interests are in health economics, crime economics, and development economics. She is particularly interested in examining how different socioeconomic factors influence minority communities and contribute to inequalities.

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at UC Santa Barbara. I graduated from the Universidad de la República (Udelar) in Montevideo, Uruguay, with B.A and M.A in Economics. My research interests broadly include labor economics, gender, education and health. Previous research has involved the study of intergenerational transmission of preferences, and the effect of a conditional cash transfer program in family changes and transition to adulthood. My current research focuses on studying the relationship between mental health, family and labor outcomes.

I have a keen interest in exploring how immigration, gender dynamics, and family structures are influenced by policy and socio-economic factors. My research aims to illuminate the complex interplay between these elements and their impact on fertility choices and demographic shifts, particularly within immigrant communities.

Emily Johnson is a Mesoamerican paleoethnobotanist pursuing her Ph.D. in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. She has conducted excavations and/or analyses of archaeological sites in Turkey, Guatemala, Mexico, and throughout the United States. Her current research is focused on investigating the timing, spread, and development of the nixtamalization process throughout ancient Mesoamerica. Nixtamalization involves soaking and cooking maize kernels in an alkaline solution made of slaked lime, a cooking method that makes niacin (vitamin B3) available to the body for absorption. This study will be the first to address gaps in knowledge regarding the evolution and spread of nixtamalization, a process that enhances the nutritional value of maize and is recognized by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity. This research involves the integration of two of the Broom Center’s areas of research: Population Health and Environment and Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity.