Dr. Ron Zimmer is a Professor and Director of the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, Zimmer was a faculty member at Vanderbilt University and spent a number years at the RAND Corporation. Zimmer is currently the co-editor of Journal Policy Analysis & Management and previously was the co-editor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Economics of Education Review. He is currently a board member of both journals.

Zimmer's research focuses on school choice and school finance which has led to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs. Much of this research has been funded by an array of foundations, state governments, and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The findings from some of this research have been highlighted in major media outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, ABC News, U.S. News and World Report, and CNN. Currently, Zimmer is co-leading a study funded by the Walton Family Foundation and Laura and John Arnold Foundation to evaluate Tennessee's Achievement School District, which is tasked with raising the performance of low performing schools.