Mariyana Zapryanova received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her research focused on public economics and policy. Her current research interests include the economics of crime, law and economics, and health economics. To date, she has focused primarily on studying the determinants of recidivism and crime rates. In particular, her research work tries to answer questions such as: What is the effect of time in prison and time on parole on reoffending? How do prison composition and characteristics affect recidivism rates? Could ambient light affect criminal behavior?

Zapryanova’s teaching interests are broadly related to her research interests. At Smith, she teaches courses in introductory microeconomics, statistics and econometrics, and public economics. She plans to offer a seminar or an upper-level elective on the economics of crime in the coming semesters.