Mark Hugo Lopez is the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan project of the Pew Research Center that seeks to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation. Founded in 2001, Pew Hispanic Center is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a public charity based in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the Pew Hispanic Center, Lopez was research director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) as well as a research assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. His areas of expertise include labor economics, civic engagement, voting behavior, and the economics of education. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.