He joined the program in 2017, after earning a PhD in public policy from the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also completed masters degrees in public affairs and Latin American studies. Durst employs mixed methods--both quantitative and qualitative--to examine the intended and unintended effects of planning and policy-making on issues of social equity. Much of his research to date has examined the challenges and implications of informality in U.S. housing markets.