News
Moment to See, Courage to Act Lightning Talks
As part of the Moment to See, Courage to Act Provost initiative, in April and May 2021, Notre Dame Economics Department faculty were invited to share their research, scholarship, or creative work with Provost Miranda and others (over Zoom) by giving a 3-minute “lightning talk.”
The lightning talk sessions featured multiple faculty each giving their own 3-minute presentation. Presenters were asked to highlight, in broad terms, three main points:…
ND Economics Assistant Professor Matthias Hoelzlein discusses Important Financial Factors to consider when deciding where to live
Seven economics undergraduates land prestigious pre-doctoral research positions, including five with the Federal Reserve
Seven seniors in the Department of Economics have secured highly competitive pre-doctoral positions for after graduation — three with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, two at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and one each at the National Bureau of Economic Research and Northwestern University's Global Poverty Research Lab. “These positions are both prestigious and highly competitive,” said Eric Sims, professor and chair of the department. “In these roles, individuals work as research assistants — and often as coauthors — with leading professional economists on cutting-edge research aimed at solving some of the most pressing issues facing society.”
Graduate Alumni Highlight: Eva Van Leemput, Ph.D. 2015, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Eva Van Leemput, Ph.D. 2015
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
I graduated from Notre Dame in 2015 and I am currently a principal economist in the International Finance Division at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, where I am part of the Emerging Market Economies (EME) section.…
Graduate Alumni Highlight: Julio Garin, Ph.D. 2012, Associate Professor at Claremont McKenna College
Julio Garin, Ph.D. 2012
Associate Professor
Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont McKenna College
I graduated from Notre Dame in 2012 and I'm currently an associate professor in the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont Mckenna College.
Besides the professional opportunities, it is hard to overstate the impact Notre Dame had on my intellectual life. The training I received provided me with tools and skills that allowed me to answer questions as diverse as the environment I faced during my graduate studies. However, it did more than that, it reinforced my curiosity and eagerness for understanding aspects of human behavior that started way before I learned what a budget constraint was.
Those two aspects are quite instrumental for an individual seeking to push the frontier as well as help those inside -- our students--, to get closer to it.
Graduate Alumni Highlight: Beth Munnich, Ph.D. 2013, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Louisville
Beth Munnich, Ph.D. 2013
Assistant Professor of Economics
University of Louisville
At ND, I gained tools to critically and thoughtfully approach research questions, and conduct rigorous empirical studies about social issues.
Working directly with Economics faculty was undoubtedly the most formative part of my experience at ND. Their support and mentorship throughout my graduate work and beyond has been invaluable in helping me develop as an economist.
Professor Bill Leahy Retires
William (Bill) Leahy recently retired from active teaching and research in the Department of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. His retirement became effective July 1, 2020, at which point he assumed the status of emeritus professor of economics.
Bill’s retirement came after 54 consecutive years of teaching economics at Notre Dame. A triple Domer who received his BA, MA, and PhD from Notre Dame, Bill joined the faculty of the Department of Economics as an assistant professor in 1966. He was promoted to associate professor in 1969 and full professor in 1975. For many years, he served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies and/or the Director of Undergraduate Advising for economics majors.
Jeffrey R. Campbell appointed the Frances D. Rasmus and Jerome A. Castellini Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame
Jeffrey R. Campbell has been appointed the Frances D. Rasmus and Jerome A. Castellini Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. His appointment became effective at the start of the spring semester in 2021, after having served as a visiting professor in the department in the fall semester of 2019. Campbell comes to Notre Dame after a distinguished career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the University of Chicago, and the University of Rochester. He received his PhD in economics from Northwestern University in 1995.
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For economics alumna Grace Choi, the liberal arts encouraged exploring tangents — which led her to cooking, the Food Network, and her own recipe app
At Notre Dame, Choi chose to major in economics and enjoyed pursuing courses on statistics and the economics of education for her major, as well as classwork in psychology and theology. Now, after a cookbook, a doctoral degree, and a spot on the Cooking Channel, she’s using emerging technology and her extensive knowledge of the role food plays in people’s lives to reinvent the idea of a recipe.
Former Notre Dame economist Christopher Waller confirmed to Federal Reserve Board
Christopher Waller, the former Gilbert Schaefer Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, has been confirmed to the Federal Reserve’s seven-member Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. Waller, executive vice president and director of research at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday with a vote of 48-47.
‘I didn't know economics could be used like this’: How LEO research assistants make an impact
Each summer and school year, a dimly lit computer lab in the basement of Jenkins-Nanovic Hall on Notre Dame’s campus hums with the activity of undergraduate interns working to find solutions to complex, poverty-related issues. As an intern for the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, Emily Merola ’20 helped collect data for the Catholic Charities Fort Worth's Stay the Course project and Padua program. “It was really great to be close to the actual operations of the provider and know that each data point is a person,” Merola said. “I think everybody knows, but sometimes you need that salient reminder.”
How the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities is fighting to prevent homelessness
The Homeless Prevention Call Center for the City of Chicago, currently run by Catholic Charities of Chicago, has helped thousands of families stay off the streets. Knowing funding for public programs is never guaranteed, it wanted to prove its method was cost effective and impactful. In 2012, it approached Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) for assistance. Could LEO researchers measure the call center’s effectiveness rather than volume?
Across three continents, research and languages are the keys to Ugandan undergrad’s success in economics and global affairs
Whether he’s studying in Uganda or France, South Africa or South Bend — or speaking English, Luganda, French, or Swahili — Trevor Lwere has one topic at the forefront of his mind. No matter where he is, the economics and global affairs major is driven to investigate what different cultures and perspectives can teach each other about forming the best society. “Every time I move to a different place, I get curious about how different societies imagine how they should be organized and how they approach life,” he said.
Economics Department Welcomes New Faculty Members
Three new members of the regular faculty and one visiting professor have joined the Department of Economics at the University of Notre Dame for the 2020-2021 academic year. These additions come on top of several years of impressive growth. The department now boasts 44 members of the regular faculty, up from 34 in the 2015-2016 academic year.…
International economics major combats poverty through researching and implementing microfinance services
At Notre Dame, senior Emily Pohl found a passion for social change — and put it into action. An international economics major with a concentration in French, Pohl worked to combat the cycle of poverty by researching and implementing microfinance initiatives. She is graduating with a portfolio of real-world research experiences, a published journal article, and a position at LEK Consulting in Chicago. And it was her Arts and Letters education that empowered her to take action.
Through international economics, Spanish, and peace studies, senior knows how to analyze data — and understand the human problems it reveals
Georgia Twersky loves diving deep into data when she’s studying economics. But her experiences at Notre Dame have helped her see the value of understanding the people behind the numbers, as well. An international economics major with a Spanish concentration and a minor in peace studies, the senior has found numerous ways that her academic disciplines support one another, preventing her from missing perspectives that might be lost by focusing on just one area.
Economics and Spanish major launches student group to help prepare undergrads for careers in consulting
One of the greatest assets of a Notre Dame degree is the University’s incredible global network. But those connections aren’t only with alumni — senior Nick Gabriele believes that, sometimes, the most important mentors can be fellow students. Gabriele, an economics and Spanish major who will begin working as a consultant with McKinsey & Company after graduation, launched Consulting Connect — an organization designed to educate students about the diverse field of consulting, prepare them for the recruiting process, and connect them with potential employers.
Economics alumnus Carlos Lozada wins Pulitzer Prize
Notre Dame faculty member and alumnus Carlos Lozada, the nonfiction book critic for the Washington Post, is the recipient of a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for criticism, journalism’s highest honor. In announcing the award April 15, the Pulitzer jurors cited Lozada “for trenchant and searching reviews and essays that joined warm emotion and careful analysis in examining a broad range of books addressing government and the American experience.”
Why Mark Winkler ’11 took a nontraditional path from an economics major to a career in medicine
Taking a traditional path never much interested Mark Winkler ’11. He knew he wanted to go to medical school, but he sought something beyond a strictly science-based course of study. He says his majors in economics and Arts and Letters pre-health led to him to where he is now — a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and a resident physician in radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.