Elly Miles is a senior research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on reducing disadvantage for children and families in marginalized and adversity-exposed populations, such as refugees and families experiencing elevated stress. Miles is a community-engaged and mixed-methods researcher, with experience codeveloping and coleading community-based participatory research with members of marginalized communities. Before joining Urban, Miles was an Early Care and Education Research Scholar through Office of Planning Research and Evaluation at the Administration for Children and Families, where she analyzed state-level family support records to identify “what works for whom” among families facing stress and instability. Miles also worked as an independent consultant, where she conducted projects focused on infant and early childhood mental health consultation in Colorado.

Miles holds an MA and a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Denver.