Kara Neuner ’26 is from St. Louis, Missouri and is majoring in Sociology and Economics. Her research interests center on health equity and social determinants of health.
From 2024 to 2025, Neuner served as a research assistant to Dr. Niharika Singh, contributing to her research on labor market trends in India—specifically the effects of civil service hiring on private-sector employment and the presence of gender quotas in the workforce. In this role, she primarily helped source and extract data from hundreds of government documents.
In 2025, she began working with Dr. Arun Agrawal on an overview of reviews examining how climate change–related exposures during pregnancy affect preterm birth and low birthweight. Neuner hopes her work will deepen understanding of how environmental and socioeconomic factors shape health outcomes.
Beyond KDR, Neuner is a research assistant to Drs. Lee Gettler and Sarah Dennis on studies of parental autonomy support, parental stress, and child health outcomes. She also serves as a student consultant with McKenna Center’s South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program (SBEAP) Collaboration Hub and has contributed to the validation process of health tech startups through the 1842 Fund.
KDR Leader
KDR Project Advisor:
Arun Agrawal