Leah Hamilton is the principal investigator of the Family Economic Policy Lab. She is an associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, a senior fellow at the Jain Family Institute, and a faculty affiliate at the Social Policy Institute of Washington University in St. Louis. She teaches social welfare policy and conducts research on economic justice and basic income. Her book, Welfare Doesn't Work: The Promises of Basic Income for a Failed American Safety Net, was released in 2020. Currently, Hamilton is principal investigator for multiple basic/guaranteed income pilots in New York and Georgia. Her work has been featured in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNBC, The Atlantic, Forbes, NPR, Fortune, and Fast Company. She serves on the policy council for the Humanity Forward Foundation and formerly served on the Basic Income Earth Network board and as president of the ACLU-NC.