Today, Groundwork Collaborative welcomed Katie Wells, Ph.D., to its team as a senior fellow. A highly-regarded expert on tech and labor policy and the gig economy, Wells brings a wealth of knowledge about the practices and technologies deployed by companies seeking to squeeze both consumers and workers.
“New technologies are having a profound impact on our economy, impacting the lives of families and workers, and policy has not caught up,” said Wells. “I’m excited to join Groundwork and help shape the tech policy we need to improve the economy for all people.”
Wells is a co-author of “Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City,” which The Los Angeles Times called “fantastic,” The American Prospect labeled as “careful and powerful,” and Publishers Weekly described as an “accessible account [that] will be of interest to urban policymakers and activists.”
Previously, as a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, Wells managed research projects about the gig economy. She has published findings from this work in academic journals as well as The New York Review of Books. Wells has discussed the real-time impacts of her research in testimonies before the U.S. Congress, the D.C. Council, and 100+ media stories for The Washington Post, NPR, and ABC News, among others.
“We’re thrilled to have Katie on board to add to our work exposing how algorithmic pricing and wage setting really works,” said Lindsay Owens, Groundwork Collaborative’s executive director. “Her research will make it clear how new technologies aren’t just being used by companies to hike prices, but also to squeeze workers. Katie’s talents and expertise will bring us one step closer to achieving our mission of building an economy that works for all of us.”
Wells holds a B.A. from the Ohio State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with Dr. Wells.