Alumni

Spotlight on Alumni: Huskies in Sewanee

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Professor Furdate with PhD alumni Huarui Jing and Tao Song.
Professor Furtado with UConn PhD alumni Huarui Jing and Tao Song at Sewanee

This past spring, Prof. Delia Furtado gave the Georgescu-Rogen Lecture at Sewanee: The University of the South while visiting with UConn PhDs, Huarui Jing and Tao Song.

Sewanee is among the nation’s top national liberal arts colleges and is consistently ranked as one of the top five in the South. While Professor Furtado enjoyed walking around the beautiful campus, often spotting students and faculty in their academic gowns, her favorite part of the trip was catching up with former UConn students.

Sewanee: The University of the SouthHuari’s research interests are in asset pricing, financial econometrics, macro finance, and machine learning.  At Sewanee, she teaches the courses, Investment Finance, Derivatives and Fixed Income Securities, Financial Modeling, and Financial Engineering.

Tao’s research interests are in labor and urban economics with a particular focus on immigration. He has taught Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics as well as the field courses Labor Economics, Urban Economics, and the Economics of Immigration. This month, he was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor. Congratulations, Tao!

Interior of building at at Sewanee: The University of the SouthCurrent UConn PhD students, do reach out to Huari and Tao for advice on building a successful academic career at a liberal arts college.

Former UConn PhD students, we would love to know where you are and what you’re up to! Contact Lisa Bono at lisa.bono@uconn.edu.

PhD Students Present Research on Gender and Race at Workshop

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Two graduate students in the UConn Department of Economics presented their research at the New England Experimentalist Workshop last week.

PhD Student Ana Karaban presents her researchAnastassiya Karaban presented her paper, “The role of gender comparisons in determining reference wage and labor supply.” She finds that when people make different wages, we choose to compare our wage to others of the same gender. Women work harder when making more than other women (but not when making more than other men). Men work less hard if they are making less than another man (but not if they are making less than a woman).

PhD Student Victor Volkman presents his researchVictor Volkman presented his paper, “Race and experimental design: How respondents may read context into a neutrally framed scenario.” Traditionally, economics experiments have participants engage in “context free” simulated economic transactions. Victor examines whether such absence of context can affect individuals differently based on their racial backgrounds. He finds evidence that different racial groups interpret context-free scenarios differently, and thus their actions are not directly comparable.

The presentations offered the students both broader exposure for their research and a chance to receive valuable feedback from researchers at other universities.

UConn Hosts Experimental Economics Workshop

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On July 1 and 2, the Department of Economics hosted the annual New England Experimentalist Workshop.

The Workshop brought together experimental and behavioral economists from twelve universities to present research on topics as diverse as gender pay disparities, self-censorship of political views in the classroom, and effective environmental policy.

The two-day workshop was organized by faculty members Remy Levin and Mike Shor and graduate student Anastassiya Karaban.

Career Advice is Shared with Stamford Economics Students

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Mara Gauger (’13) at the Stamford campus on April 9, 2024

Students in Professor Smirnova’s Financial Economics and Money and Banking classes were visited by UConn Alumna, Mara Gauger (’13) on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

Mara Gauger graduated from UConn with BA degree in Economics in 2013. After graduation, she worked at Citi, and achieved the level of Assistant Vice President. Since 2016 she works at Deloitte.

Mara Gauger is currently a Senior Manager Deloitte’s Capital Markets practice with extensive experience supporting securities firms and broker-dealers. Mara focuses on assisting firms on topics related to securities operations, trading systems, and risk management programs. At Deloitte, Mara has been a lead in the SEC Rule 613 Consolidated Audit Trail project office as well as assisting firms in their design and implementation of the rule requirements. Mara is also a core member of the Deloitte team supporting SIFMA, ICI, and DTCC’s efforts to analyze the impacts of an accelerated settlement cycle (T+1) since inception.

The goal of Mara’s visit was to familiarize students with careers in the financial sector, and mentor them on how to get their first job upon graduation from UConn with the Economics degree. Mara generously shared her wisdom about how to navigate the process of job and internship search: what to showcase on the resume to stand out; how to network through LinkedIn and HuskyLink; how to prepare for and conduct interviews; how to utilize the Career Center and Career Fairs; and what skills and career competencies are in demand in the marketplace.

Students were able to ask questions pertaining to their career aspirations and their experiences with internships and job search. Students who are seniors were the most vocal and were able to ask the most pointed and specific questions. Students who are juniors and sophomores received a motivational advice to start their networking as early as possible. Mara suggested utilizing HuskyLink as the first step of connecting with the UConn alumni.

Mara Gauger and Natalia Smirnova
Mara Gauger (’13) (right) and Dr. Smirnova at the Stamford campus on April 9, 2024

Mara shared that her visit to UConn is the way to give back to her Alma Mater after working in the financial industry for 10 years. She was very supportive of students’ inquiries and honest about identifying the competitiveness of the industry and challenges of getting the first job out of college. Students took her advice and candid conversation in stride. They were encouraged by Mara to continue their studies, gain career competencies, and confidently showcase their strengths and skills to the employers.

Thank you, Mara Gauger (’13) for visiting us at UConn Stamford. We really appreciate it!

Fostering Teaching Excellence: Key Takeaways from the 2024 Spring GA Training Seminar

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The Department of Economics recently held the 2024 Spring GA Training Seminar in Herbst (formerly Oak) Room 337 on March 29, 2024. This seminar provided a crucial platform for student instructors to develop teaching skills and foster discussions on effective teaching methods. Professor Richard Langlois, Professor Olivier Morand, and Professor Tianxu Chen, shared invaluable insights with first-time student instructors in the meeting.

The seminar started with Professor Morand’s presentation, focusing on the pedagogy of teaching quantitative content. Through interactive discussions, he emphasized the importance of learning styles and clarity in teaching.

Professor Langlois primarily discussed tips for teaching writing-intensive courses (W class), drawing upon his extensive experience in the field. He shared strategies for effectively engaging students in such courses.

Lastly, Professor Chen addressed the challenges encountered by student instructors in their teaching roles. She offered insights into fostering attendance, promoting student interaction, and managing email communications adeptly.

The seminar concluded with an open discussion, providing participants with the opportunity to exchange experiences, address challenges, and seek guidance from peers and faculty mentors. Through collaborative exchanges, attendees garnered inspiration, valuable insights, and peer support to refine and elevate their teaching practices. This seminar was coordinated by Professor Chen, and it is part of ECON 6492: Teaching Economics—a recently developed course tailored for first-time student instructors.

Economics GA Training Seminar – Fall 2023

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The 2023 Fall Economics Graduate Assistant (GA) Training Seminar was held in Herbst (Previously Oak) 312 on November 1, 2023. The GA training seminar was designed to help student instructors and graduate assistants in the Economics Department succeed in their teaching roles at UConn, and to help promote their professional development.

During the event, Professor Talia Bar, Professor Tianxu Chen, Professor Delia Furtado and Professor Derek Johnson shared their teaching experiences, and addressed a variety of issues/questions raised by our student instructors and GAs. Specifically, the topics addressed in the seminar included (1) responsibility of instructors, (2) evaluation of teaching, (3) improving attendance, (4) responding to students’ emails, (5) suggestions for first time teaching, and (6) disputes between instructor and student.

Student instructors teaching in Fall 2023 and other GAs participated in the seminar. They also shared their teaching experiences, and the challenges they face, with the faculty and their peers. The event was a big success, and provided valuable support for our student instructors and GAs. The seminar was coordinated by Professor Chen, who is also the instructor for ECON 6492: Teaching Economics, the newly designed course for first-time student instructors.

 

 

Master of Science in Quantitative Economics (MSQE) at Fall Career Fairs

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Professor Harmon and MSQE Students
At the Storrs Career Fair, four of our third-semester MSQE students and two of our first-semester MSQE students visited our table as they made their way through the fair. Pictured below are Prof. Oskar Harmon, MSQE students: Khoa Tran and Colin Pavel.

Professor Oskar Harmon and Graduate Program Assistant Lisa Bono represented the MSQE Program at three UConn Career Fairs this Fall semester – the UConn Storrs All Majors Career Fair, the UConn Storrs Stem Career Fair, and the UConn Stamford Career Fair.

Professor Harmon and MSQE Students
At the Stamford Career Fair, our first-semester Stamford-based MSQE students and several undergraduates visited our table. Pictured below are Joao Benites (MSQE), Prof. Oskar Harmon, Serhiy Kotsopey (MSQE) and Stamford student Eraldo Ndoj.

At the table we distributed brochures describing the program, gave away some of our branded swag, including a raffle for an MSQE custom-made Columbia fleece jacket, and signed students up for our upcoming Info Sessions and Newsletters.

From seniors interested in the MSQE Program and undergraduates interested in the “4+1” accelerated program option, we collected 60+ email addresses from the Storrs and Stamford Fairs. We also networked with many recruiters interested in learning more about the MSQE program and in potentially hiring MSQE graduates.

 

Spotlight on Alumni: Elizabeth Miller at NYU

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Picture of Nikki MillerElizabeth (Nikki) Miller graduated from UConn as an economics major in 2020—not the luckiest time for a graduation. After that, she participated in the AmeriCorps program and later began graduate studies at the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. We recently received an update from Nikki to share with all of you:

“I remember the economic courses I took at UConn had an element of quantitative rigor and I appreciate what I learned in those courses. I still have many of these course materials saved on my laptop. Some courses that gave me a great foundation for graduate school alongside being some of my favorites included Intermediate Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Empirical Methods in Economics, Women & Minorities in the Labor Market, Labor Economics, and Development Economics. The professors who instructed these courses were amazing not only as instructors but as people who really were passionate about the work they did.

Besides being a student at UConn I also enjoyed being involved on campus in a variety of capacities. I participated in an early childhood literacy development program called Jumpstart as a volunteer, worked with other graduate students in the economics department as an economics tutor, got involved with other student groups such as Women & Minorities in Economics, starting out as a social media coordinator then becoming president in my senior year. As a part of this organization, I was able to attend the 2018 Undergraduate Women in Economics Conference which gave me insight into how women across the country were incorporating economics into their work and/or research. I also decided to become a resident’s assistant during my final year at UConn to be a resource to new students and to help cultivate a caring and respectful community.

Graduating in 2020, a year filled with many unfortunate events, shaped my post-graduation plans. I ended up participating in an AmeriCorps program for one year as a math fellow, instructing amazing sixth graders at a charter school in lower Manhattan. That was a very challenging but rewarding experience and made me eager to get back into the classroom as a student. In Fall 2021, I began graduate school at the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. The economics course content and material I interacted with at UConn motivated me to apply to the master’s in public administration program which had a specific emphasis on public policy analysis. At Wagner I curated my coursework to focus on policy analysis and evaluation, specifically related to land use and housing policy. Some of the courses I took included Advanced Empirical Methods, Public Economics, Evaluating Programs and Policies, Housing and Community Development, Environmental Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities, and Land Use, Housing and Community Development in New York City Seminar. In the Land Use seminar, I worked alongside two NYU law students to carry out a legal and data analysis on the NYC Fair Share Criteria. These analyses culminated in an article that was recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) and will be published in ABA’s Section of State and Local Government Law Review — The Urban Lawyer.

As a Wagner student, I worked part-time as a graduate research assistant on the data team at the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. Following my first year at NYU, I interned at the New York City Housing Development Corporation, a public benefit organization that finances affordable housing development in New York City, as a data analysis intern on the policy and analytics team. This year, I completed my studies at NYU Wagner and transitioned to a full-time position at the NYU Furman Center as a Data Management Associate where I am involved with the diverse data work occurring across the center.  I hope to use the skills and experience that I gain in this full-time role in a future capacity where I am pursuing a Fulbright Scholarship or Ph.D.”

Congratulations, Nikki, on all of your accomplishments! If you are a current UConn economics student interested in pursuing an MPA degree, you can learn more about Nikki’s career path by looking at her LinkedIn profile or you can reach out to her directly at eam9536@nyu.edu.

If you are a recent alum doing interesting things, please reach out to us at economics@uconn.edu. We would love to hear from you.

PhD Students Studying Migration on the Move

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Treena Goswami presented her paper, “Immigrants and Labor Market Decisions of Older Natives“ at the Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting held in April this year in New Orleans. She will start a position at the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute in the Social and Decision Analytics Division.

In May, Abdulmohsen Almuhaisen presented his paper, “Immigration Enforcement and the Institutionalization of Elderly Americans ,” coauthored with Professor Delia Furtado and Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes from UC-Merced, at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Labor Economists (SOLE) in Philadelphia. He will return to Saudi Arabia to work at the Saudi Central Bank in the late summer.

Both were hooded at this year’s Commencement Ceremonies by advisor, Professor Delia Furtado.

Congratulations and good luck, Treena and Abdulmohsen!