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Q&A: MIT Economics PhD Student Russell Legate-Yang Looks Back At The Fellowship

July 23, 2026

Russell Legate-Yang is a 2024 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and a child of immigrants from Canada and China. From his parents, who pursued graduate study in the United States, he inherited a love for education and science. His parents’ sacrifices for his schooling and opportunities in the United States inspire him to improve access to quality education. Similar sacrifices by other New American families drive Russell’s commitment to use research to improve society.

Russell became captivated by economics because of its power to separate cause from chance in data and supply reliable evidence for policymaking. While studying economics and mathematics at the University of Chicago, he pursued his passion for research and public policy by co-leading a research group that partnered with governments and non-profits, writing an award-winning thesis on new ways to fund public education, and later working with Blueprint Labs at MIT to help New York City Public Schools revamp its school ratings system. Russell is pursuing a PhD in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

What did the PD Soros Fellowship give you that you didn’t expect?

The PD Soros Fellowship gave me a space to reflect on my values and goals, both for my work and life. Since PD Soros Fellows come from many backgrounds and professional fields, Fellowship activities like the Fall conference helped me focus on cross-cutting themes: heritage, family, career, and social responsibility. I found it useful to discuss these themes together with other Fellows.

Is there a moment from the past two years—a conversation, an event, a realization—that has stayed with you?

I fondly recall filming our cohort’s goodbye video at the Fall conference, ten of us crammed into a hotel room. Taking turns in front of the camera to record our dreams for the future, we alternated between laughing and reflecting.

What’s next for you? What are you working toward in the next few years?

I just wrapped up the second year of my PhD program—all done with classes and exams! In the coming years, I’m focusing on my dissertation research. Right now, I’m working on projects in labor economics, industrial organization, and econometrics. For example, in one research project I’m studying how firms screen workers and decide who to hire. I hope this work will be useful as AI spreads through the economy and affects hiring and labor markets.

What would you want a newly selected PD Soros Fellow to know going into the Fellowship?

I encourage newly selected PD Soros Fellows to embrace their new community. You will be welcomed and heard earnestly, so approach Fellowship activities without reservations or doubts.

What advice would you give to an applicant who is on the fence about applying?

Leave any worries aside and go for it! The Fellowship is an amazing and welcoming community. Even if I had not received the Fellowship, I learned a lot about myself, my values, and my goals during the application process.