The University of Notre Dame’s Economics department has welcomed nine new students to its halls from three different continents. Economics Department Chair Eric Sims said “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jackson, Mitchell, Caio, Emily, Pascal, Thomas, Shane, Ryan, and Coleson to the Notre Dame economics family. They are an impressive group on paper, and, in a few short weeks, have really gelled together as a group. I am looking forward to working with them and seeing them each develop as scholars."
Jackson Alexander
Jackson is from Springdale, Arkansas. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas with a B.S.B.A. in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. His research interests include applied microeconomics and labor economics.
“I chose Notre Dame because they have great professors, an excellent student-advisor ratio, and the program feels more like a community rather than a competition. They also have a great first-year system that allows you to truly focus on the rigorous courses.”
Mitchell Boice
Mitchell grew up in Vermilion, Ohio, a small town on the Southern Coast of Lake Erie. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from Miami University. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program at Notre Dame, he spent a term studying banking and European integration in the Netherlands, ultimately developing research interests in banking, business cycles, and growth.
"I chose Notre Dame because it offered the best prospect of intellectual growth at a university with a rich history and strong commitment to creating a sense of solidarity and concern for the common good."
Caio Oliveira Dantas
Caio Oliveira Dantas is from Brasília, Brazil. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of São Paulo. Caio's primary research interest is monetary policy.
“My main reason for applying to Notre Dame was the excellence of the macro faculty. Realizing all the department's research areas were of an equally high standard sealed the deal.”
Emily Davis
Emily Davis is from Morganfield, Kentucky. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Louisville with a B.S. in economics and a minor in math. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant and co-author with two of her professors. Her research interests include applied microeconomics, especially within the fields of health, labor, and public economics.
“I chose to come to Notre Dame because the economists in the department were not only doing interesting and innovative research, but they were working on research that made an impact on people’s lives. I wanted to be a part of a program that used its academic rigor and prestige as a force for good in the world.”
Pascal Frank
Pascal Frank is from Germany. Before joining the Ph.D. program at Notre Dame, he received his B.S. and M.S. in Economics from the University of Wuerzburg and worked as teaching and research assistant. During his studies, internships brought him to the German Council of Economic Experts, the KfW Development Bank and the Institute for the World Economy in Germany. His research interests include macroeconomics and monetary policy.
“Notre Dame offers, with an excellent faculty and small cohort sizes, an outstanding basis for pursuing my research goals.”
Thomas Poitevin
Thomas Poitevin is from Saint-Nazaire, France. He graduated from Universite Paris-Dauphine with a B.S. degree in Applied Economics and earned with highest honors a master's degree in Quantitative Economics with a specialization in Macroeconomics and Finance. Before joining the Ph.D. program at Notre Dame, he served as a Master trainee in the Fiscal Policy Division at the European Central Bank. His research interests lie in macroeconomics with a focus in analyzing stabilization policies and studying the impact of agent heterogeneity.
“I wanted to enroll in a PhD program to become an active contributor of economic research in line with the policymakers' expectations. I have chosen Notre Dame because it is going to help me reach this objective thanks to its talented faculty members, their availability, and high quality teaching.”
Shane Reed
Shane Reed is from a small cornfield south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Shane studied economics, cognitive science, and mathematics at the University of Michigan as an undergraduate, where he received his B.S. In his time at Michigan he worked as an intern for the football team, and then as a research assistant for the Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics. After graduation, he worked for three years at the Upjohn Institute as a Research Analyst.
"In picking somewhere to spend 5+ years, in addition to the standard rankings, it was important for me to go somewhere where the department was compassionate and collegial. In the dozen trips I took, nowhere impressed me more than Notre Dame in this dimension... After our trip to Notre Dame, my wife spent the whole trip back raving about how nice everyone was, and ultimately that went a long way in helping me make my decision."
Ryan Sullivan
Ryan Sullivan is from Sandy Springs, Georgia. He graduated summa cum laude from Rhodes College with a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Mathematics. While at Rhodes, he worked as a researcher in the Mathematics Department and played on the baseball team. His research interests lie in applied microeconomics.
“I chose to come to Notre Dame because of the faculty's dedication to working with graduate students to produce quality research.”
Coleson Weir
Coleson Weir is from Naples, Florida. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware with an H.B.S. in Mathematics and Economics with minors in Political Science and Theater Studies. He concurrently graduated with his M.S. in Economics and Applied Econometrics. His research interests include development economics, political economy, and public economics.
“I chose Notre Dame to work with faculty doing cutting edge research in the fields that interest me most and to learn about other fields in economics. Another reason I chose Notre Dame was the emphasis of faculty members on having a positive and inclusive departmental culture.”
With the addition of these nine students, the Economics program now has 43 active students, including three serving as Post-Doctoral teaching fellows and seven entering the Job Market this fall.