I’m an engineer at RAND, a non-partisan research institution dedicated to improving policy through research and analysis.
I spend most of my time doing research that can save lives or make us more secure - either by preventing cancer, mitigating the worst consequences of pandemics, or preventing AI from causing harm.
You can reach me at plima at rand dot org.
Research Streams
View all →Cancer Early Detection & Prevention
Using microsimulation models and cost-effectiveness analysis to improve cancer screening programs, reduce disparities, and inform clinical guidelines.
Pandemic Preparedness & Response
Developing decision support tools and surveillance systems to help policymakers respond effectively to infectious disease threats under deep uncertainty.
Equity & Society
Examining how social determinants and structural factors shape health outcomes and economic opportunities to identify policies that promote equity.
Modeling & Simulation
Developing computational models including microsimulation, agent-based, and epidemic models to understand complex systems and evaluate policy interventions.
Robust Decision Making
Applying frameworks for decision-making under deep uncertainty to identify strategies that perform well across a wide range of plausible futures.
Causal Inference
Evaluating causal inference methods for estimating policy effects from observational data.
Tools & Packages
Creating open-source software tools and R packages to support reproducible research and enable researchers to apply advanced methods.
Recent Research Topics
Topics with the highest number of publications in the past 2 years