Our Team

Yong Suk Lee

Founder & Director

Yong Suk Lee is associate professor of technology, economy and global affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and the founder and director of the Future of Labor Lab. He is program chair in technology ethics for the Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. Lee’s research focuses on the issues that intersect technology, labor, society, and governance. The new wave of technologies, such as AI and robotics, will have important implications for the economy. His most recent research examines how new technologies affect labor and firms, the societal and ethical implications of new technologies, and the governance of AI.

Lee is a faculty affiliate of the Keough School’s McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business and a faculty fellow of the Keough School’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Pulte Institute for Global Development, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, and Ansari Institute for Global Engagement for Religion.

Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Lee was a faculty member at Stanford University at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Prior to Stanford, he was assistant professor of economics at Williams College. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Brown University, a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from Seoul National University. Lee also worked as a real estate development consultant and architecture designer as he transitioned from architecture to economics.

Research Associates

Jacob Dominski

Research Associate

  • Jacob Dominski is a research associate at the Future of Labor Lab and the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. He supports Yong Suk Lee’s research on the impact of emerging technologies and AI on labor markets.

    Before joining Notre Dame, Jacob earned his BA in Economics (with honors) and Philosophy from the University of Michigan. Jacob’s research interests broadly include technology, labor, and public policy.

    Outside of work, Jacob enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Cassandra Merritt

Postdoctoral Scholar

  • Cassandra Merritt is an incoming postdoctoral scholar with the Future of Labor Lab at the University of Notre Dame. She is a labor economist whose research focuses on the evolving nature of work and human capital formation. She investigates how new types of work emerge and transform labor markets, and how educational programming and technological interventions shape student outcomes. She integrates quasi-experimental methods, economic theory, and natural language processing with administrative, public, and original data sources to generate academic insights and inform policy. Her ongoing projects examine the implications of AI and emerging technologies for labor market dynamics, education systems, and society at large.

    Cassandra studied for her Ph.D. in Economics at the University of California, Davis; earned a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh; and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Business Economics from Hofstra University. She has contributed to education policy discussions through her work with the California Education Lab and previously served as a field economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Away from her desk, Cassandra enjoys long runs on open roads – stopping only to make friends with neighborhood dogs and their human companions.

Research Assistants

  • Jada is a sophomore from Manila, Philippines majoring in Psychology and Visual Communication Design while minoring in Computing Digital Technologies on the AI track. As a Notre Dame Ethics Research Fellow, her research interests surround ethical discernment and implementation of generative AI in art and design. In FoLab, Jada leads the development of online platforms, mainly the website and Substack. She is also a columnist for The New AI Project, exploring the capabilities of new multimodal software in creative expression. 

    Outside of the lab, Jada’s passionate about making information appealing & digestible to the eye, working as a designer for Strike Magazine, Filipino-American Student Organization, and the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child.

  • Michaela is a senior graduating in May 2025. She studies Business Analytics in the Mendoza College of Business and Global Affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs. Within FOLab, Michaela supports the effort to create a White Paper about AI and labor policy. The paper is an extension of the Keough School of Global Affairs' workshop on AI and the future of labor, which was held in Washington D.C. this spring.

    Michaela’s academic interests center around data analysis and technology policy with a focus on data privacy and the economic impacts of AI. In the summer of 2024, she interned in the U.S. House of Representatives, which provided her with a greater understanding of U.S. legislative procedures and an appreciation for the importance of policy solutions. In Michaela’s time outside of academics and research, she competes as a student-athlete on the Notre Dame Women's rowing team.

  • Kate is a sophomore Business Analytics student with a minor in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. In FoLab, she supports the Ethical Cities project, working with the South Bend government to determine criteria for deciding between procurement and using AI.

    In addition to her research, Kate is an intern for the Office of the President and is involved in the Student International Business Council (SIBC).

  • Anastasia Leyendecker ‘27 studies Classics on the pre-medical track. She runs the Substack associated with the FoLab, collecting research articles and think pieces about anything related to AI. She is fascinated by the mind and the processes of accumulation and application of knowledge.

    In her free time, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, cooking, and reading.

  • Noella Mumba is a Master of Global Affairs candidate (Class of 2025) at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, concentrating in governance and policy. She is a Research Assistant at the Future of Labor Lab, where she examines the impact of robot adoption in Japanese nursing homes and its implications for labor and elder care.

    Before graduate school, she worked in environmental conservation in her home country, Kenya. Noella’s interests include AI, education, and environmental policy. In her free time, she tutors and mentors school-going children in Kilifi County, Kenya.

  • Baimat is a first-year Master of Global Affairs student at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Sustainable Development (STEM-designated), and affiliated with the Keough School of Global Affairs. At the Future of Work Lab (FoLab), he is working on two projects: the first involves estimating the causal relationship between robot adoption in long-term care facilities in Japan and changes in job openings, primarily using a quasi-experimental instrumental variables approach. The second project focuses on data mining and analysis of monthly labor force data from post-Soviet countries to examine the impact of generative AI (GEN_AI) on labor markets.

    Prior to graduate school, he worked extensively in agricultural value chain analysis, production process optimization using linear programming methods, and food security and self-sufficiency studies. Currently, he is particularly interested in the green economy, causal inference using econometric methods, and the application of machine learning in economic research.

  • Padraig Slattery is a Master of Global Affairs Candidate in the Keough School of Global Affairs. As a member of FOLAB, he serves as the project manager for the Ethical Cities Program, a collaboration between the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab and the City of South Bend.

    Prior to joining the Keough School, he served as a middle school social studies teacher and AmeriCorps Member in Dallas, TX. He concurrently pursued his Master of Education as an ACE Teaching Fellow at the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 2024. In addition, he has a diverse background spanning academic, nonprofit, and government sectors.

    Padraig holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Villanova University. His academic interests focus on urban and regional policy, community development, and more.

  • Clarice Silva is a first-year Master of Global Affairs, Governance and Policy Major, student from Goiania, Brazil, who is interested in education, political inclusion, identity, and democracy, with a focus on Latin America and Brazil.

    Prior to attending Notre Dame, Clarice worked in public service at the Department of State of Science, Technology and Innovation of Goias, developing programs and policies aimed at the internationalization of innovative enterprises. In the FoLab, she works on the Artificial Intelligence and Religion initiative, aiming to conduct surveys to assess how different beliefs perceive the use of AI and its risks.