Her main research interest is in the field of the economics of human development. In her current projects she explores the evolution of cognitive and non-cognitive skills over the lifecourse and the role that the education sector and parents play in boosting these skills. From 2014 to 2016, Stefanie will be in a research-only position funded by an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award titled "Exceptional upward mobility against all odds: Non-cognitive skills and early-childhood disadvantage". Previously, she held positions at Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Melbourne, she was a Visiting Scholar at The University of Chicago between April and June 2015. She received her PhD in Applied Econometrics from the Ruhr Graduate School in Economics in October 2008. She joined IZA as a Research Fellow in April 2012.