Harshil Sahai

Placement: PhD Economics, Chicago | NSF Awardee

Harshil Sahai, is a doctoral candidate in economics. Sahai is exploring the effects of extreme temperatures on educational outcomes so as to gain insight on how climate change can impact a country’s growth and development. Specifically, he is studying the impact of temperature on school test scores and enrollment, while seeing if access to reliable electricity and credit can cushion the effect. Having conducted deep quantitative analysis through research assistantships with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve Bank and Credit Suisse Securities, and volunteered in teaching children from low-income areas of Pennsylvania, China and India, Sahai’s background combines his passions for economics, mathematics and societal improvement. He holds a bachelors degree in mathematics and economics from Swarthmore College.

As a pre-doctoral fellow, Harshil worked closely with EPIC Director Michael Greenstone.

“In working with EPIC as a pre-doctoral fellow over the last two years, I’ve learned that I can make the greatest impact on the world through a dispassionate, careful, and quantitative examination of our biggest challenges,” says Sahai. “In addition to gaining a greater understanding of the research process and general economic behavior, I hope this fellowship will provide me with the tools and acumen to understand global issues in a way that I can make a difference.”