GEMCLIME project (2016 - 2020)

Building an international scientific network

"During my secondment at Columbia University, I met my co-author of a peer-reviewed paper that we were preparing. In addition, I got more familiar with the peculiarities of graduate studies in the United States through the Ph.D. students whom I met in New York. I am keeping in touch with professors and students from Columbia in sight of developing a network that will be beneficial for my career after graduation."

Jan Mareš, a Ph.D. student at IES FSV UK, researches on economic growth, financial markets, econometric modelling, and Bayesian analysis.

A springboard for an academic career

“In terms of influences, this time was the most formative and I would never be able to have a shot at where I am right now without it. I joined the group of macro-finance students working under the supervision of Professor Atif Mian. I primarily worked there on my own research project which later turned into my job market paper. Of course, I wanted to make the best of the full experience: I took elective courses, I attended regular research seminars and I tried to meet and speak to Princeton professors about my own projects. This all helped to bring me closer to the work that is currently at the frontier of academic research. On the top of all, I went on an academic job market with a kind support of professors from Princeton University for which I am incredibly grateful.”

Martina Jašová, who spent 1.5 year at Princeton University within IES Ph.D. studies, has become Assistant Professor of economics at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York.

An inspirational experience at Berkeley

“I chose U.C. Berkeley for its excellence in research in economics and its location. I had a clear objective in mind and that was to advance with my dissertation thesis and to focus on an article entitled The Cost of Providing Electricity in Sub Saharan Africa. For me the research visit was very inspirational. I attended a few courses directly related to the area of my interests taught by some very well-known lecturers. I also attended weekly talks and seminars organized by the Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (REAL) and the Energy Resource Group (ERG) at U.C. Berkeley, as well as other lectures and events which enriched my knowledge in my research area.  Through the seminars I was able to mix with other research students and ex-students, learning about their research and how some had turned their research into start-ups.”

Petra Valíčková, a Ph.D. student at IES FSV UK, focuses her researches on a set of countries in Sub Saharan Africa, for which she analyses the electricity policy and the policy decision making. 

ECOCEP project   (2014 - 2017)

A contact with the American university system

“The university has a great campus in College Park, MD, which is close to Washington, D.C. During my stay, I have primarily attended courses on the signal analysis and statistics. At the University of Maryland, there are many opportunities to attend research seminars in macroeconomics, econometrics, and energy economics, at which one can meet colleagues from multiple departments. The stay overall has provided me with a good picture of the US university system and life there, which has been more than valuable.”

Luboš Hanus spent one month at University of Maryland during his first year of Ph.D. studies. His research focus is on the spectral time-series analysis of macroeconomic data.

Being part of a different research community

“During my visit, I met with the faculty and Ph.D. students and discussed my and their research during seminars. ECOCEP provided a great opportunity for me to be a part of a different research community and I received much appreciated feedback on my own research. Among others, during my stay I focused on the effects of profit shifting of multinational companies in the environmental and energy sectors on inequalities and distribution of wealth and on the potential effects of policies that would tackle the problem.”

Miroslav Palanský has been seconded at the University of Queensland during his second year of Ph.D. studies. His research focuses on political economy, public finance, development economics, taxation, tax abuse, and international corporate tax avoidance.

Connecting theory with applied work

“My secondment within ECOCEP project to the Economics Department at the University of California at Berkeley was an enjoyable experience.  During one and half month-long stay, I worked on my second dissertation paper entitled Measurement of Common Risk Factors: A Panel Quantile Regression Model for Returns and discussed the progress with the top field econometrician James L Powell. Besides theoretical concepts in quantile reg”ression, I learned how to connect theoretical and applied work in a clear and comprehensive way.”

František Čech has been seconded at the University of California, Berkeley during his third year of Ph.D. studies. His research focuses on computational finance and financial econometrics.