Ten of EPIC’s pre-doctoral fellows will be taking on new academic opportunities this fall. Over the past two years, the fellows have worked closely with EPIC-affiliated faculty and staff to produce valuable research and develop new skills.
The highly competitive fellowship provides young researchers who have completed their bachelor’s degrees the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a full-time work environment under the guidance of EPIC-affiliated faculty and researchers. This year’s departing class—including Kate Champion, Ruozhou Du, Rebecca Frost, Sara Gerstner, Aliya Jabbar, Richard Lu, Matthew Neils and David Xu —are pursuing advanced degrees in economics and sustainable development this fall. Each will leave with the strong support network of professors, postdoctoral scholars, and colleagues who helped advance their research skills, knowledge base and career paths.
Kate Champion
Faculty Supervisors: Michael Greenstone and Amir Jina
Kate Champion worked for the Climate Impact Lab. She worked on the Lab’s forthcoming paper on inequality and climate change, performing analysis examining how the poorest people on Earth are often the most exposed to climate change and have the least resources to adapt.
In the fall, Champion will be pursuing a PhD in Economics at UC San Diego.
“As someone with a non-econ background, I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked as a pre-doc here at UChicago. After my time here I have a better understanding of the research process which I know will serve me in the long run. Having the opportunity to work with the fantastic researchers at the Climate Impact Lab confirmed for me that I made the right decision to transition into economics.”
Ruozhou Du
Faculty Supervisors: Michael Greenstone and Amir Jina
Ruozhou Du worked with the Climate Impact Lab, where he made contributions to predicting yield losses resulting from adverse climate trends, visualizing the future global inequality in damages caused by climate change, and calculating the social costs of greenhouse gases across various discounting and valuation scenarios.
In the fall, Du will be pursuing a PhD in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.
“I never imagined my life intersecting with climate-related work until this opportunity to be part of EPIC came along, and I’ve learned so much along the way. I am grateful not only for the practical tools and preparation it has provided for a PhD program but also for opening my eyes to the potential of using social sciences to address climate crises. This exposure has inspired me to delve deeper into this field during my upcoming PhD studies.”
Rebecca Frost
Faculty Supervisors: Michael Greenstone and Amir Jina
Rebecca Frost worked on multiple projects with the Climate Impact Lab. She helped implement new results for the Lab’s paper estimating the labor disutility impact of increasing temperatures. She also contributed to a project quantifying the effects of climate change on agricultural yields and some research on how climate change will affect global wildfire damages.
In the fall, Frost will be pursuing a PhD in Economics at Stanford University.
“My time at EPIC has been a great experience. I have learned so much about the field of environmental economics, gained valuable skills, and made life-long friends. The researchers at CIL have been invaluable mentors and I will miss them very much.”
Sara Gerstner
Faculty Supervisor: Eyal Frank
Sara Gerstner worked with Eyal Frank. Frank’s research lies at the intersection of economics and ecology and, broadly speaking, his work aims to quantify the cost associated with a loss in biodiversity. During her time at EPIC, Gerstner worked on a range of different projects, including estimating the effect of listing a species under the Endangered Species Act on property values and the examining the extent to which landowners anticipate these listings.
In the fall, Gerstner will be pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
“The pre-doctoral program at EPIC is truly one of a kind and I could not be more grateful to have been a part of it. Getting hands-on research experience allowed me to translate the theoretical knowledge I had gained from my degrees into practical skills to answer important policy questions. Dr. Frank has been an incredible mentor and involved me in every step of the research process, allowing me to get a realistic understanding of what life as a researcher looks like. His patience and guidance is what led me to find the right PhD program for me and the skills I gained from working with him allowed me to be accepted into my top choice program.”
Aliya Jabbar
Faculty Supervisor: Michael Greenstone
Aliya Jabbar worked with Michael Greenstone on a suite of projects that focused on energy and the environment in India. Among other things, this work contributed to examining moral hazard within electricity utility hierarchies and understanding the demand for solar energy at the frontier of electrification in rural India.
In the fall, Jabbar will be pursuing a PhD in Economics at MIT.
“Michael Greenstone is an incredible mentor and PI. My interactions with him have shaped my understanding of research, and his deep investment in the policy impacts of his work is very inspiring. Working with the EPIC team was intellectually challenging, fun, and rewarding; I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned here!”
Richard Lu
Faculty Supervisor: Fiona Burlig
Richard Lu worked with Fiona Burlig in estimating household electricity usage patterns in California in the context of electric vehicle adoption.
In the fall, Lu will be pursuing a PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Working at EPIC has been an amazing experience in giving me the opportunity to fully engage with the research process, and to examine issues related to environmental economics. I learnt so much from Professor Fiona Burlig about what impactful academic research should look like, in terms of searching for questions and answering them. I am thankful for all the mentorship and support I received at EPIC, as well as the friends I made along the way.”
Matthew Neils
Faculty Supervisor: Michael Greenstone
Matthew Neils worked with Michael Greenstone on a project estimating the efficacy of marine protected areas in reducing fishing activity, restoring overfished species, and impacting fishery profits. Neils also worked on projects investigating the relationship between extreme temperatures and mortality and evaluating home weatherization subsidy programs. Neils won an honorable mention for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
In the fall, Neils will be pursuing a PhD in Economics at the University of Chicago.
“Working at EPIC encouraged me to pursue a career in environmental economics and allowed me to develop skills in identifying interesting questions in this area, producing rigorous economic research, and communicating the results of that research. EPIC also provided an amazing community of fellow RPs, faculty, and administrative staff.”
David Xu
Faculty Supervisor: Koichiro Ito
David Xu worked with Koichiro Ito to examine the international spillover impact of a domestic attribute-based regulation such as a Japanese fuel economy regulation.
In the fall, Xu will be pursuing a PhD in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
“In addition to the tremendous professional growth including but not limited to deepened understanding of research methods and broadened exposures to research fields, I am most grateful for the friendships I made in the program with both Koichiro and many other fellow RPs, which I am sure will last much longer.”
To learn more about the program or apply, visit here.