I am a labor and public economist studying safety net programs in the United States. My recent work uses large-scale administrative data to examine the effects of school meal programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Prior to graduate school, I worked for five years at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.–based research organization focused on policies affecting low-income families.

In September 2026, I will join the California Center for Population Research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a postdoctoral scholar.

My name, Lexin Cai, is pronounced Lex-in KAI.