Hillary Cookler is a doctoral candidate and researcher at UCLA Anderson, where she leverages her background in economics, strategy, and finance in her research. She is on the 2026-2027 academic job market and expects to complete her PhD in June 2027. Prior to pursuing her PhD she worked in finance for more than 15 years, with a focus on fixed income asset management and strategy. Hillary’s academic work focuses on two topics that are extremely close to her: (1) finance and capital markets and (2) policies that impact working mothers, such as paid parental leave.

Hillary began her career in finance at D. E. Shaw & Co., and has since worked at Banc of America Securities, Oaktree Capital Management, and Capital Group. She has extensive experience with fixed income investment strategies and product management and has worked with a wide range of investors, from retail investors and advisors to public pension plans and sovereign wealth funds.

Hillary is a working mother with two young children. She had her children while working in finance and was fortunate that her company not only provided paid parental leave, but also provided an above average leave length. She came to see how unusual her situation was, how little transparency exists around leave policies, and how widely they vary across firms, sparking a research interest in paid parental leave.

Outside of work, Hillary has served as Treasurer and Executive Board Member of Homeless Health Care Los Angeles since 2012.

Hillary earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in Economics and History from New York University.