Contact Current Students

Sarah Bass

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: sbass3@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a sixth year PhD student in the economics department from Raleigh, NC. Next fall, I will be starting as an Assistant Professor in the Risk Management and Insurance Program at the University of Georgia. My research focuses on the economic consequences of climate risk, particularly wildfires, by integrating granular climate data with real estate transactions, homeowners insurance, and health outcomes. 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 the job market, applied micro at UW, interdisciplinary work, conferences, life in Madison, or anything else you’re curious about!

Ruth Cohen

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: rcohen22@wisc.edu

I’m a third-year student in the joint economics and finance program, interested in household finance. I’m from Minnesota 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, starting the PhD with a liberal arts background, life in Madison, and anything else that’ll help make your grad school decision easier!

Minnie Cui

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: minnie.cui@wisc.edu

Hey there! I’m a fourth-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!

Davi Doneda Mittelstadt

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: donedamittel@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a fifth-year student from Brazil. I have bachelor’s degrees in international relations and in economics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and a master’s in economics from the Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). I also worked at the Rio Grande do Sul State Government and at a fintech (Stone) before moving with my wife to the US to start the PhD. My field is Industrial Organization, and I am broadly interested in using IO tools to study lending markets. In my main research project, I study the role of search frictions and asymmetric information in auto loans in Brazil. I also have a paper on oil and gas auctions, in which I estimate the costs of policies requiring the participation of domestic suppliers, also in Brazil. I would be happy to chat about the program, living in Madison, and about moving to the US with a partner.

Marlena Eley

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: mseley@wisc.edu

Hey there! I’m a fifth-year macro student. I graduated from Barnard College in 2016 with my BA in econ and received my MS in econ from Georgetown in 2020. I worked in consulting in LA (where I’m from) and DC before I found myself in Madison. I began the program thinking I would study labor but found my way into macro where I research student loans, intergenerational transfers and estate taxes, as well as other aspects of household finance. I’d be more than happy to talk about figuring out your field, working with professors as an RA, what it’s like to TA, or anything else about the graduate student experience. Feel free to email me at mseley@wisc.edu.

Cutberto Frias Sarraf

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: friassarraf@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a third-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.

Danny Gold

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: danny.gold@wisc.edu

I’m a sixth-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; seeking external funding; 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 was on the market for both academic and private-sector jobs and accepted an offer from Bates White. I’m happy to answer any questions related to the job market, the department, or my experiences here.

Jakob Juergens

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: jrjuergens@wisc.edu

I am a fourth-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 nonparametric estimation of causal parameters such as CATE. I am also interested in the econometric applications of a mathematical field called optimal transport. 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

Xuexin Li

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: xli2394@wisc.edu

Hey there! I am a third-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.

Lucas Marron

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: lmarron@wisc.edu

Hello! I am currently a second-year student in the joint Economics and Urban/Real Estate program. I am interested in topics related to education and housing, and general applied micro. I grew up in Oregon and got my BS in Economics and Mathematics (minor in Poli Sci) at the University of Oregon. Before coming to Wisconsin, I spent 2 years as a predoc for Joseph Altonji and John Eric Humphries. I am happy to talk about my experience in the first year, why I chose UW, the joint urban/real estate program, moving to (and living in) Madison, or anything else that you are interested to know. Feel free to reach out!

Michael Nattinger

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: nattinger@wisc.edu

Hello! I am a sixth-year student in the joint program in economics and finance. This Fall, I will be joining the Economics department at Carnegie Mellon-Tepper as an Assistant Professor. 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 study the sources and implications of household income risk, and eviction, carbon, and bankruptcy policy. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about macroeconomics at Wisconsin, working with administrative data, or surviving the Wisconsin winter!

Ranjana Sinha

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: rsinha33@wisc.edu

Hi! I am a second-year student in the Economics PhD program from India. I completed my undergraduate studies in India and have a master’s degree from the LSE. Before coming to Madison, I worked as an RA in London and in Stockholm. My interests are broadly in applied microeconomics, particularly in public economics. I am happy to talk about life in Madison, navigating the first year, adjusting to a new place (especially if you’re an international student), or anything else you might be curious about 🙂

Rachel Widra

Position title: Ph.D. Student

Email: rwidra@wisc.edu

Hi, I’m a fourth-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!