Representing the breadth of PSTC’s research themes and interdisciplinary approach, this year’s cohort of Economics, Sociology, and Public Health PhDs have matriculated with a wide variety of expertise, experiences, and impacts. In celebration of their extraordinary talents and accomplishments, PSTC faculty, staff, and current trainees expressed well wishes for the Class of 2024 and reflected upon the contributions of this year’s cohort of emerging scholars.
To our 2024 PhD Graduates
Congratulations! It has been a privilege to watch you evolve from the talented group of predoctoral trainees who first arrived at Mencoff Hall into the assiduous, skillful scholars you are today. Thank you for sharing your hard work, determination, and accomplishments with us during this early phase of your academic and professional journeys. Wherever your ambitions take you next, we know that you will continue to strive to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world and its populations. Rest assured that you are always welcome here at PSTC.
Love & best wishes,
All of us at PSTC
About the Class of 2024
Jonathon Acosta (Sociology)
Dissertation Title: A Community Study of a Post Industrial Economically Declining City that has been Sustained via Foreign Born Migration
Placement: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Annenberg Institute
Henrique Pita Barros (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Essays on the Integration of Internally Displaced Persons and Long-Term Development in Mozambique
Placement: Assistant Professor Economics, ISEG-University of Lisbon
Giulia Buccione (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Culture, Agency, and Water: Essays on the Development of the Middle East and North Africa
Placement: Postdoc at Stanford and then AP at CEMFI in Spain
Francesco Ferlenga (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Symbols of Oppression: The Role of Confederate Monuments in the Great Migration
Placement: Postdoc at University of Warwick, then Assistant Prof at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Santiago Hermo (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Essays on Labor Market Institutions
Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Oslo, followed by Assistant Professor at Monash University
Fu Jin (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Essays in Crime, Policing and Political Economy
Placement: Cornerstone Research in Washington, D.C.
Geetika Nagpal (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Urbanization and Infrastructure Provision in Developing Countries
Placement: Economist at the World Bank
Bryan Natividad (Sociology)
Dissertation Title: Invisible or Invincible? An Empirical Analysis of University Disability Support Services & Academic Success
Placement: Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island College of Business
Emily O’Neill (Public Health)
Dissertation Title: Evaluating Appropriate Medication Usage: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa to the European Union
Marcela Mello Silva (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Religious Media, Conversion and its Socioeconomic Consequences, and Other Essays
Placement: Assistant Professor at Universidad de los Andes, Chile
Alessandro Sovera (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Essays in Public Economics
Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher at the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research at Tampere University
Sara Spaziani (Economics)
Dissertation Title: Essays in Public and Labor Economics
Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Warwick
Esha Sraboni (Sociology)
Dissertation Title: A Fraught Project of “Modernity”: Sexual Violence, Law, and Gender Justice in Bangladesh
Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
Reflections from the Class of 2024
“The PSTC trainee program significantly boosted my academic and professional development. The workshops equipped me with essential research skills, while interactions with seminar speakers provided valuable insights and networking opportunities. Additionally, the exposure to interdisciplinary research broadened my perspective and enriched my career.” — Alessandro Sovera (Economics)
“PSTC seminars and events allowed me to get in touch with scholars working outside of Economics. This experience was instrumental to my research idea of working on the integration of forcibly displaced persons in Mozambique. Faculty affiliated with PSTC provided me invaluable help throughout my studies, namely Andrew Foster, Oded Galor, Stelios Michalopoulos, and Pedro Dal Bó. Lastly, the grants provided by PSTC were also important to improve the quality of my research design, especially my field activities in Mozambique.” — Henrique Pita Barros (Economics)
“The PSTC’s trainee program has been a rewarding experience, profoundly shaping my research agenda. Intellectual exchanges with faculty members and graduate students across disciplines at the PSTC, whether through the speaker series, workshops, office discussions, or informal hallway conversations, have broadened my scholarly outlook. These exchanges have encouraged me to think beyond disciplinary boundaries and bring more rigorous perspectives to my work.” — Esha Sraboni (Sociology)
“The trainee program has provided me ample opportunity to learn about research outside of economics through its various seminars and workshops, helping me to generate more diverse and holistic research projects.” — Fu Jin (Economics)
“The PSTC offered an inspiring environment to meet colleagues from other fields and receive excellent academic mentorship. Interdisciplinarity enriched my research approach as well as my research outputs, thanks to invaluable feedback received from colleagues in other disciplines who I would have not been exposed to otherwise. Moreover, the guidance and support provided by my mentor, Professor Andrew Foster, have been key for my studies. Professor Foster’s direction has been crucial in shaping my ideas and passion for the MENA region into an actionable research agenda, pushing me to be a rigorous thinker and to creatively navigate the challenges of fieldwork. Finally, I want to spotlight the expertise of Mr. Silvia, PSTC Grants and Finance Manager, which was vital in helping me prepare for several grants, such as J-PAL K-CAI grants and IGC grants, that I eventually managed to secure." — Giulia Buccione (Economics)
“PSTC affiliation gave me the chance to attend extremely interesting seminars and especially to be exposed to researchers from other fields.” — Francesco Ferlenga (Economics)