His research examines the consumption, saving, and borrowing behavior of poor households in the U.S., and how welfare and tax policy affects the well-being of the poor. His most recent work examines changes in consumption and income poverty in the U.S. over the past three decades. His research has been supported by grants from the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was a recipient of the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Dissertation Award in 2003. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.