Student profiles

I am fortunate enough to be pursuing a research project in my area of interest at the Nottingham School of Economics. This was my academic dream when I completed my undergraduate degree two years ago at the university five thousand miles away, in Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus.

My research degree came about through several lucky coincidences. The graduation year of my undergraduate degree coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Malaysia Campus. I was a recipient of the Malaysia Campus Tenth Anniversary Celebration Masters Scholarship. My masters degree led on to my current research.

The University Park is atmospheric and well-facilitated. It hosts the economics department and Sherwood Hall where I live as a hall tutor. I enjoy the trees and walks on campus and nearby Wollaton Park. Living in the university (or campus) ‘bubble’, as hall students tend to say, it is inspiring to learn from students with diverse interests in studies and from different cultural backgrounds.

In the department, the informal and friendly atmosphere is mentally encouraging and conducive to exchange of thoughts. My research project involves the econometric modelling of countries’ public debt and external balance.

After my economics degree in Belgium I wanted a new challenge, both on the personal and academic level. Going to the UK for a specialised master’s degree seemed like a good idea, so I chose to do an MSc in Economics and Econometrics at the University of Nottingham. During that year, I got more and more interested in extending my studies by doing a PhD. This was mainly due to the interesting modules and contact with staff at the Nottingham School of Economics. I received an offer, and decided to stay in Nottingham to do research on the relationship between short-run fluctuations and long-run economic growth.

During the first months of my PhD, I realised it would be a challenge. So many economic models and so many empirical strategies! Seeing the forest for the trees and trying to apply all this new information to your own research questions is demanding. Luckily, I was not alone. The NSE offers a wide range of courses and seminars and two supervisors who advise you during the process. I really benefited from all of this. The school and the university also offer courses to develop your teaching skills and opportunities to apply these skills as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Overall, the PhD program at NSE has developed the economist, the critical researcher and the teacher in me. I truly recommend it!

After completing my MSc in Nottingham I worked for 5 years in London. I felt I needed a new intellectual challenge and so returned to Nottingham for a PhD. At first it was a bit strange being back in the place where you spent your undergraduate years. However you see a very different side to the University and the city; discovering four breweries, a world-record breaking beer festival, Trent Bridge and Nottingham Panthers. The biggest challenge for me was probably making the transition from being a consumer of knowledge as an undergraduate to becoming a producer as a PhD student. It can take quite a while to discern good ideas from bad ones, as well as the skills to translate these into a research paper - there is a large element of trial and error (mainly error) in the first year or so of your PhD.There are a variety of guest speakers who come to Nottingham to present at our various research centres on a regular basis as well as opportunities to present your work internally and at conferences abroad. However, the best thing about the department is probably the social aspect. There is a large group of PhD students of various years who regularly meet up outside work. I have made some very good friends and even met my wife here (there are some female economists!).

(Emilija did her UG and MSc at Nottingham and is now doing her PhD).

As my main (yet not only) area of interest is Development Economics, I belong to the Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT). My research focus is primarily on fiscal effects of aid, and incorporates a fairly wide range of studies, from assessing the effects of health aid in a panel of lower and middle income countries, to case studies looking at effects of aid on taxation in East African economies using applied time-series techniques, such as co-integration analysis. I also love teaching, so I tutor several undergraduate modules as Graduate Teaching Assistant. Doing a PhD in Nottingham opened quite a few interesting doors: I have participated at a Summer School in Copenhagen, and (being an ESRC - funded student) spent three months in Edinburgh working for the Scottish Government, among other exciting opportunities.

The social environment, both within the School and the University, provides enough opportunities to further one's interests outside academia. Being a very international team, we (the PhD group) cook with the Italians, bake with the British, go on wine tastings, cricket matches, concerts, etc., and partake in charity runs with other staff. I also lived in one of the residence halls on campus as a resident tutor, which, among other things, introduced me to people from outside the School of Economics, leading to a healthier balance of conversation during the day. At the end of the day, you get what you put in to it (and, actually, much more).

The best part about the School of Economics is the diversity of the courses offered and academic expertise it provides. I have met and worked with people from various backgrounds, cultures and nationalities, which I think opened up my perspectives and improved my social and academic skills. And of course, the University of Nottingham has one of the nicest campuses in the UK. 

It is a great opportunity for me to be a part of CeDEx community at the School of Economics. In our CeDEx lab, in conjunction with my supervisors, we are doing experiments analysing incentivized decisions of participants and psychological mechanisms behind those decisions. My current research is about biases in decision making. I use experimental games to study whether people overestimate or underestimate their skills relative to others or relative to their actual skills. We hope that this line of research will offer new perspectives to understand individual decision making, in particular, in financial markets and entrepreneurial ventures.

Doing a PhD in Nottingham is absolutely an enjoyable experience

I have had a wonderful experience doing a PhD at the Nottingham School of Economics (NSE). The School attaches strong importance to both teaching and research. Professors and lecturers have a passion for teaching and an outstanding record of high quality research which is also reflected in an intense and rewarding training and supervision programme for aspiring PhD candidates. After studies in France, Germany and Belgium I applied for a place in the NSE’s doctoral programme where I now belong to the Nottingham Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP). My main research interests lie in the areas of regional and multilateral trade liberalization, spatial economics and the impact of trade and globalization in developing and emerging economies. In addition to my doctoral studies, I have also tutored on several modules during the last three years and have recently been appointed Graduate Teaching Fellow which provides me with the opportunity to gain experience in lecturing and being responsible for my own module.

Nottingham is great place to be, given its truly international environment and the possibility to meet people from all around the world. Alongside an amazing campus the university also offers a wide range of sport- and art-related activities and many possibilities to get involved in social activities such as providing general advice and pastoral care to undergraduate students as a residence hall tutor, which I personally find especially rewarding. For prospective research students, it is hardly possible to sum up my experience in a few sentences. The Economics Department at Nottingham is one of the best in the country and has a fascinating research environment offering many opportunities to share ideas and acquire knowledge. Though at times challenging, doing a PhD at the School of Economics is equally interesting and fun, and thus absolutely recommendable!

After I completed my undergraduate studies in Edinburgh I was fortunate enough to secure an ESRC 1+3 scholarship, which allowed me to first complete the MSc Behavioural Economics and then to continue with my PhD straightaway.

My research interests lie in financial decision making and household finance, and as such I am at the intersection of Behavioural Economics and Macroeconomics. The School of Economics here at Nottingham has a vibrant research group for Behavioural Economics, and I am formally part of CeDEx, where we conduct incentivised experiments in our laboratory and guest speakers present their research during our weekly seminars. I also attend CFCM seminars, the research group for finance and macroeconomics. The very active research community at the School creates a very stimulating environment and gave me lots of ideas for my research. My supervisors are from two distinct areas: individual decision making and empirical finance. I am lucky, because this combination suits my research perfectly – not every University would be able to accommodate intersecting research interests.

A PhD means a lot of work, but here at Nottingham it can be a lot of fun, too. The PhD group is quite large and diverse and you can definitely have a good time with your colleagues (or you can misery together when things are not going to well). For me, Nottingham was the best possible choice and I am happy to be able to pursue my research here.