Mark Melnik

Director, Economic & Public Policy Research

Dr. Mark Melnik specializes in demographic, socio-economic, and labor market issues. He leads a 20-plus-person team working on a variety of economic and public policy research projects that inform clients in government, private industry, and the non-profit sector. In his time at the Institute, Dr. Melnik has served as the principal-in-charge on projects with such clients as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, the City of Cambridge, MassDOT, MassDevelopment, the Executive Offices of Housing and Livable Communities, Economic Development, and Labor and Workforce Development, the North Central Chamber of Commerce, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, and many others. In addition, Dr. Melnik serves as the senior managing editor of MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts economy published by the institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

As a leading expert in demographic and socioeconomic issues in the Commonwealth, Dr. Melnik is a widely sought-after public speaker, typically delivering a dozen or more keynote speeches and panel discussions a year. Dr. Melnik is also quoted extensively in local and national media on issues related to economics, demographics, and labor market issues. Before joining the Institute, Dr. Melnik worked as deputy director for research at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and was a research associate at the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.Dr. Melnik has participated in numerous state commissions, advisory boards, and working groups over the last 10 years. In 2018, Dr. Melnik served on Governor Charlie Baker’s Future of Transportation Commission. In 2023, he provided data analysis and advisory support to the State’s most recent Economic Development Plan. In 2024-2025, he was a member of Governor Maura Healey’s Cultural Economy Advisory Council and the Commission on the Fossil Fuel Workforce. In addition, in 2023-2024 he served on Chancellor Javier Reyes’ Economic Development Task Force for the University of Massachusetts Amherst and currently sits on the university’s new Economic Development Initiative, bringing together various experts across the campus to help enhance the economic development impact of UMass Amherst. Dr. Melnik also participates on the advisory board for the MetroWest Economic Research Center at Framingham State University.

He holds a doctorate in sociology from Northeastern University. His dissertation explored skill and credential mismatches in the greater Boston labor market. He received his master of arts from Northeastern University and his bachelor of arts from Youngstown State University, both in sociology.