Catalina Herrera Almanza is Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a development economist studying policy-relevant questions at the intersection of demographic, health, and education economics in developing countries. Using experimental and quasi-experimental methods, her research studies the determinants and consequences of poor households’ fertility decisions as well as their education and health investments with a focus on uncovering ways to improve women’s economic empowerment and children’s wellbeing. Dr. Herrera-Almanza received her Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Cornell University. She holds a B.A and M.A in Economics from Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia). Prior to joining UIUC in 2020, Dr. Herrera-Almanza was an Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Northeastern University. She has worked for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, in Washington D.C., and the Public Policy Evaluation Directorate in Colombia’s Ministry of National Planning. Her most recent research projects are in India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, the Philippines, and Mexico.