Our Team

Research Interest: Dr. You oversees the Center’s Population Estimates and Projections program, but her expertise extends to diverse topics such as education, migration, health, and healthcare in Texas. With more than two decades of research experience, she has a keen interest in demography and public policy in Texas. Some of her projects include the Population Estimates for Texas, the Educational Attainment Projections of the Texas Labor Force, Diabetes Projections, and the Projections of the Uninsured in Texas.

Research Interest: Dr. Jordan provides project management, along with data, programming, and GIS expertise for the Texas Demographic Center and the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research. For the past 20 years, he has been involved in numerous research projects investigating the relationship between demography and socioeconomic issues in Texas, including transportation, energy conservation, labor force, education, criminal justice, and social services. Previously, he worked at the Public Policy Research Institute and the Texas State Data Center at Texas A&M University, where he was involved in several research projects addressing demographic and social services topics.

Research Interest: Dr. Cruz serves as a legislative liaison with the Texas legislature and supports the data needs of the Center’s network of statewide and local affiliates. She has also assisted with survey and qualitative research for the Texas Department of Transportation, and community assessments for various Head Start organizations. Her research interests include housing, economic development, poverty, and employment. She has worked as a legislative aide for the Texas Senate, as a program director for the City of San Antonio, and with other non-profit organizations as a policy analyst and researcher. Prior to joining the TDC staff, she served as an administrator for civic engagement in higher education and has taught courses in public policy, Texas government, and American Politics.

Research Interest: Dr. Huang supports the work of the Center’s population projections in Texas urban areas, provides demographic analysis and survey research assistance for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), analyzes surveys for the "Access to Care in Bexar County During COVID-19" Project, and performs community needs assessments for various organizations involved in the Head-Start Program. With over 7 years of experience in demographic research, his expertise encompasses a wide range of topics, including fertility, migration, education, transportation, and demographic trends. Previously, Dr. Huang held positions at the Demographic Research Unit of the California Department of Finance and the Research and Development Branch of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Research Interest: Dr. Uddin's supports the Center’s work in applied geospatial analysis, spatial modeling, econometric modeling, socioeconomic data analysis, and the application of urban planning tools and techniques. His research interests revolve around integrating spatial and socioeconomic factors in environmental, urban, and transportation studies. Before joining the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research (IDSER) at UTSA, he gained experience in academia and industry.

Research Interest: Dr. Kim supports the work of the Center’s Population Estimates and Projections program. He is an applied demographer with experience in both industry and demographic research and aims to integrate population forecasting methods with machine learning algorithms. His research interest also focuses on low fertility and aging in economically developed countries. Previously, he served as a postdoc fellow at UT Health, where his research delved into social risk factors in health disparities. Additionally, he has expertise in vision-based musculoskeletal health services utilizing machine learning techniques.

Research Interest: Dr. Rajput’s supports the work of the Center in applied geography and GIS. Her work includes projects with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) designing and implementing web-based mapping and data delivery applications. Dr. Rajput has over 10 years of experience working on geospatial projects, including previous employment at the City of Austin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and working with LiDAR data for a survey and a mapping company in Austin.

Research Interest: Ms. Geppert has over 10 years of experience coordinating quantitative and qualitative research projects in both the public and private sector. Currently, Ms. Geppert coordinates both interagency cooperation contracts between IDSER, UTSA, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) as well as sponsored research cooperation contracts. Previously, she worked for the Hessian Statistical State Office and Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global consultancy firm.

Research Interest: Ms. Alvarez is responsible for the coordination of data collection within the Texas Demographic Center’s Population Estimates and Projections Program. She has experience working in the public sector on research projects and municipal initiatives covering topics such as environmental policy and immigration. Ms. Alvarez also assists with responding to data requests received by the Texas Demographic Center.

Ms. Leon is responsible for the communication and marketing needs of The Texas Demographic Center. She works closely with the research team to create and produce infographics, monthly newsletters, social media, website design, and more. Previously, Ms. Leon worked as a graphics designer with a private firm.

Mrs. Espinoza provides support to the Texas State Demographer, as well as clerical support and assistance in the day-to-day operations of the Texas Demographic Center.