Received Sylff fellowship in 2023
Academic supervisor : David Liebowitz
Current affiliation : University of Oregon
Dr. Merly Klaas is an educational researcher and development practitioner committed to advancing equity and quality in early childhood education, especially for children in under-resourced and rural communities. As a Sylff fellow at the University of Oregon, Merly pursued her Ph.D. in Quantitative Research Methods in Education with a specialization in Educational Data Science. Her doctoral dissertation focused on early learning access, neighborhood effects, and child outcomes in rural Indonesia, using large-scale administrative data to analyze how place-based disparities shape educational opportunities.
Merly brings over a decade of professional experience across academic, nonprofit, and government sectors. She has worked as a research analyst, early childhood education specialist, and university lecturer in Indonesia and graduate instructor in the United States. Her leadership in program evaluation, curriculum development, and policy research reflects a strong commitment to using data and participatory approaches to inform equitable educational systems.
Prior to her doctoral studies, Merly earned an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a B.S. in Psychology from Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Indonesia. Her work has supported child development initiatives with organizations such as Save the Children Indonesia, UNICEF, Plan International, Child Fund, and local education agencies. She has presented research at national and international conferences and is passionate about bridging global evidence with local action to improve outcomes for children and families.
As a Sylff fellow, Merly continues to champion leadership that is collaborative, community-grounded, and data-informed—advocating for sustainable policies that uplift marginalized voices and ensure every child has a fair start in life.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merly-klaas/
