Research Fellows

Ezra Butler
Ezra Butler was a Senior Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2024) with a focus on technology, media, and popular culture. He has spent his career as an independent consultant focused on designing innovative technology. He also writes a weekly newsletter, Colorphilia, where he researches color-related topics like the history of “red tape”, the origin of “blue laws”, and the color of wine in antiquity. He had previously been the U.S. Editor for The Kernel. Ezra received his B.A. in Computer Science from Yeshiva University in New York, and studied for an M.A. in History of Comparative Religion at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Shanthi Ramakrishna
Shanthi Ramakrishna was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2023-2024) and an MA student at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a concentration in Development, Climate, and Sustainability. At DCI, her work focused on analyses of small business retail and U.S. political donations. Ramakrishna holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Hitha Herzog
Hitha Herzog was a Senior Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022-2024) with a focus on retail. She also serves as the Chief Research Officer of H Squared Research LLC in New York, a boutique market research firm that provides timely, relevant, and actionable consumer and retail research to clients. Herzog is also an Adjunct Professor at Parsons School of Design, where she teaches courses on social commerce and communication/social media. She was previously a business journalist with stints at Fox Business, Bloomberg, Time Inc., CNBC, and Forbes. Herzog is the author of Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Terrorists (2011). She has a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics from Smith College (including a year stint at the London School of Economics) and an M.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Serena Ruedas
Serena Ruedas was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2023) and a JD student at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where her studies focused on gaming law, corporate governance, and securities law. Her work at DCI focused on trends in sports wagering and gaming markets within the United States, specifically emerging gaming and payment technologies, advertising, and legislative and regulatory oversight in the field. Serena has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Dr. Liad Wagman
Dr. Liad Wagman was a Senior Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022), where he was a frequent contributor of both research reports and short pieces with a focus on competition and antitrust. He currently serves as the John and Mae Calamos Dean Endowed Chair and professor of economics at the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Tech in Chicago. He also previously served as Senior Economic and Technology Advisor of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning. Dr. Wagman works on topics in the areas of information economics, industrial organization, law and economics, and entrepreneurship, studying issues concerning market competition and antitrust, data utilization and privacy, innovation, and new venture financing. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Duke, an M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford, and a B.S. / B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of North Carolina.

Jonathan Askin
Jonathan Askin was a Senior Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022), with a focus on internet law. He currently serves as Professor of Clinical Law at Brooklyn Law School in New York, teaching technology, telecommunications, and entrepreneurial law and policy. He is also the Founder/Director of the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy Clinic (BLIP) and the Innovation Catalyst for the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship (CUBE). Professor Askin was previously Fulbright Scholar at the University of Amsterdam, Visiting Professor at MIT Media Lab, and Visiting Professorial Fellow at Queen Mary University of London. He has an A.B. from Harvard and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School.

Ben Kent
Ben Kent was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022) while an MBA student at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in Washington, DC. He also serves as a Marine reserve officer, currently assigned to the Marine Innovation Unit (MIU). His work at DCI focused on the intersection of the defense industry and digital innovation. Kent has a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

Parker Bovée
Parker Bovée was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022) while an MPP student at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. His work at DCI focused on the growth of the gaming and sports gambling industry via digital platforms and apps. Bovée has B.A. in History from UC-Berkeley.

R.T. Rogers
R.T. Rogers was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Data Catalyst Institute (2022) while an MPA student at Cornell’s Brooks School with a focus on Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy. His work at DCI focused on tech policy in Washington, DC – specifically antitrust, data privacy, and content moderation. Rogers has B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Economics from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.