Thomas Vargas

Thomas Vargas

Senior Researcher

Rethink Priorities

About

I’m a Senior Researcher at Rethink Priorities where I support the Global Health and Development team. My published work explores the politics of education and issues in political economy.

I was born and raised in San José, Costa Rica before moving to the US for my university studies. I settled in Canada in 2020. A political scientist by training, my work appears in Comparative Politics, World Development, and other journals. Prior to grad school, I worked for two years for the MIT Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in Santiago, Chile. I’m also an #rstats fan/evangelist.

Download my CV.

Interests
  • International Development
  • Political Economy
  • Causal Inference
Education
  • PhD in Political Science, 2020

    University of Minnesota

  • Master of Public Policy, 2012

    The College of William & Mary

  • BS in Foreign Service, 2010

    Georgetown University