Contact Current Students

Sarah Bass

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Email: sbass3@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a fourth-year PhD student in the economics department from Raleigh, NC. I am broadly interested in understanding the impact of climate change on fertility and migration. My current research focuses on wildfires, and I link detailed climate data to complete vital statistics records, pregnancy tracking app data, real estate transactions, and migration data. In addition to my work in the economics department, I am a demography trainee with the Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE) and the Center for the Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA). I’m happy to chat with you about applied micro at UW, interdisciplinary work, department culture, and life in Madison!

Ruth Cohen

Email: rcohen22@wisc.edu

Hi! I’m a first-year student in the joint economics and finance program, interested in household finance. I’m originally from Saint Paul, MN and graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in economics. Before coming to Madison, I worked as an RA at the Boston Fed for three years. I’m happy to chat about the joint finance program, the first-year workload, starting the PhD with a liberal arts background, the Madison restaurant scene, and anything else that’ll help make your grad school decision easier!

Minnie Cui

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Email: minnie.cui@wisc.edu

Hey there! I’m a second-year student in the joint program in Economics and Finance. I’m from Toronto, Canada. After studying Economics at the University of Toronto, I worked at the Bank of Canada, the Canadian central bank, as an RA and Analyst for almost 4 years. My research interests are in financial IO. I’m happy to talk about the first-year courses, the joint program, being an international student, surviving freezing winters, and anything else on your mind!

Duong Dang

Email: dqdang@wisc.edu

Hello there! I’m currently a fifth-year student in the field of Macroeconomics. I’m from Vietnam, and did my undergrad at the Australian National University before coming to UW. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have about the PhD program, being a TA/RA, or any general questions you may have about living here in Madison.

Sharada Dharmasankar

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Email: dharmasankar@wisc.edu

I’m a sixth-year student from the great city of Aurora, Illinois. After finishing my undergraduate studies in economics and in English at the University of Chicago, I spent a few years in consulting before working as an RA at the Chicago Fed. My research interests are in labor and education. Feel free to reach out to me about being a TA/RA, living in Madison, and about the coursework and program in general!

Caitlin Dutta

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Email: csdutta@wisc.edu

Hi! I’m a third-year student from Charlottesville, Virginia. Prior to grad school I got my B.A. in Economics with a minor in English from the University of Virginia in 2019 and then moved to Washington DC to work as an RA at the Federal Reserve Board for two years. I study applied micro in our public group and focus on government assistance programs. I’m happy to talk about our people and program, TA/RA work, Madison, how you’re making your grad school decision, and whatever else you want to discuss.

Marlena Eley

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Email: mseley@wisc.edu

Hey there! I’m a third-year student interested in macro. While originally from Fullerton, CA, I’ve lived in New York and DC where I earned my BA in econ from Barnard (’16), my MS in econ from Georgetown (’20) and worked in consulting before landing here at UW. I began the program thinking I was going to end up in labor but found my way into macro, where I study student loans. I’d be more than happy to talk about figuring out your field, working with professors, what it’s like to TA in the first year (and beyond), as well as the transition to, and life in, Madison. Feel free to email me at mseley@wisc.edu.

Cutberto Frias Sarraf

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Email: friassarraf@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a first-year student from Mexico. Before coming to UW, I obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science, and a master’s degree in economics from ITAM. I also worked for a few years in the central bank of Mexico. My research interests are macroeconomics and finance. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the PhD program, housing or anything regarding the experience of studying in Madison.

Daniel Gold

Email: danny.gold@wisc.edu

I’m a fourth-year student originally from rural Washington State (Republic, WA). I studied Economics at Western Washington University for my BA and at the University of Toronto for my MA. I worked as an RA at the Richmond Fed’s Baltimore branch for a few years before entering the PhD program. I study topics related to Real Estate, Urban Economics, and Industrial Organization. Feel free to ask me any questions, but I can speak personally to the experiences of being a TA and/or RA in your first year; transitioning to the program after working for a few years; and moving to Madison with a dog and/or a partner and/or as an avid runner. I’m also involved in the department’s diversity and inclusion graduate student organization and will happily answer any related questions related to the department or my experiences.

Jakob Juergens

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Email: jrjuergens@wisc.edu

I am a second-year Ph.D. student from Germany. Before coming to Madison, I obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from Bonn University. There, I also worked as a research assistant/programmer at a statistics institute. My research interests lie in theoretical econometrics and mathematical statistics, and I am currently studying the applications of a mathematical field called optimal transport in econometrics. If you want to know more about my experience studying in Madison or how I got here, please email me or look at my website jakobjuergens.com

Greg Kirwin

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Email: gjkirwin@wisc.edu

I’m a fifth-year student from Philadelphia. Prior to UW, I was an economics/math major at William & Mary. I then worked on antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission, and afterwards earned a masters in applied mathematics from Northwestern. My main interests are in industrial organization and applied econometrics. Feel free to ask me about teaching in your first year, finding housing, or anything else.

Giselle Labrador Badía

Email: labradorbada@wisc.edu

Hi, I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student from Cuba. I majored in computer science and math at the University of Havana. Prior to UW-Madison, I was living in Mexico City, earning my master’s degree in economics at CIDE. I’m primarily interested in research topics at the intersection of IO and finance. I would be glad to answer any questions you have.

Xuexin Li

Email: xli2394@wisc.edu

Hey there! I am a first-year Ph.D. student from China. I finished my undergrad at Central University of Finance and Economics, and my master’s at UW-Madison. I am currently interested in international economics and macroeconomics. I would be glad to make new friends and share my experiences here. Feel free to drop me an email at xli2394@wisc.edu.

April Meehl

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Email: aimeehl@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a sixth-year student in the joint economics and finance program. I grew up in Erie, PA and studied statistics at the University of Pennsylvania. I then worked for two years as a research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. My research interests include banking, macro, and corporate finance. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the econ program, the joint program, or living in Madison!

Michael Nattinger

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Email: nattinger@wisc.edu

Hello! I am a fourth-year student in the joint program in economics and finance. I work with U.S. administrative data in the Wisconsin Research Data Center, and study macroeconomics by bringing highly detailed micro data to macro models. I have ongoing projects studying eviction policy, carbon taxes, venture capital, and the economic impact of changes in idiosyncratic income risk. In my time at Wisconsin, I have already been able to travel (funded) to Cambridge (Massachusetts), Gerzensee (Switzerland), Utah, Minneapolis, and Princeton for conferences, workshops, and teaching. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about macroeconomics at Wisconsin, working with administrative data, travel funding logistics in our department, or surviving the Wisconsin winter!

Mengqi Wang

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Email: mwang452@wisc.edu

I am a sixth-year student from China. I finished my undergrad at Renmin University of China, and my master’s at Peking University before coming to Madison. I am currently interested in international economics and macroeconomics. I would be glad to make new friends and share my experiences here, so if you have any question, feel free to drop me an email at mwang452@wisc.edu.

Rachel Widra

Email: rwidra@wisc.edu

Hi, I’m a second-year student originally from a suburb of Madison. I got a BA in Economics and English from UW-Madison and then spent a few years as an RA at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland before returning to UW. I am interested in labor and public, and I have a background in education policy research. Feel free to ask me about living in Madison, the campus community, transitioning from work to being a student again, or generally about the program!