Ursula Mello is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and is further affiliated with the Institute for Economic Analysis (IAE-CSIC) and the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE).

In her research, she uses applied microeconometrics methods to investigate key issues for Educational and Labor Market policies. In the area of Education, her recent work is concentrated on the impact of large reforms in the admission process to higher education. In particular, she studies how the centralization of admissions and the expansion of affirmative action quotas, in the context of Brazil, affected the composition of the student body, individuals' incentives, and choices. In the topic of Labor, her work is focused on intergenerational mobility and labor market adjustments to economic shocks.

Ursula completed her Ph.D. at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in 2019. During her doctoral studies, she visited the Department of Economics of Duke University, the International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth and worked as a Consultant for the World Bank Development Research Group.

Ursula joined IZA as a Research Affiliate in May 2023.