Barman is a research analyst in MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area, where her work is centered on improving access and completion rates among community college students, particularly those from low-income and historically underserved backgrounds. She contributes to evidence-building efforts that help institutions and states design more effective postsecondary systems. Her work includes data processing and quantitative analysis for initiatives focused on comprehensive student supports (SUCCESS) and more effective placement systems (TXMMA). She also contributes to research and technical assistance related to community college funding reform (TUFF and Technical Assistance for State Higher Education Funding) and supports THE-RCT, which develops tools and resources to strengthen postsecondary education research. Previously, she supported the Texas Transfer Grants and Dana Center Math Pathways (DCMP) projects.
Before joining MDRC in 2022, she interned in the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She also worked at the University of Virginia, where she supported economics research on higher education access and attainment and served as a teaching assistant in the economics department. Barman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, with minors in data analytics and psychology, from the University of Virginia.