Department of Economics

PhD Graduates

Testimonials / Job Placement

We take pride in our small-scaled PhD program, which allows us to focus on individual student mentorship. Our PhD students receive a rigorous theoretical and/or econometric training, which opens up excellent employment opportunities. Job placements of recent graduates include the Bank of Canada, Erasmus University Rotterdam, European Central Bank, European Commission, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, University of Münster and VU University Amsterdam.

Elien MeulemanElien Meuleman

PhD in Economics at Ghent University (2020)
Financial analyst Microprudential Supervision at the National Bank of Belgium, Brussels and affiliated researcher at Ghent University

"After obtaining the master's degree in Economics, I decided to stay at Ghent University for another year and started a master's in Banking and Finance. There, I got the opportunity to work with some PhD students which made me think about an academic career. However, I decided to join Deloitte but 1.5 years later I got the chance to start at the Department of Economics as a researcher. And I still do not regret that decision: the 5 years I worked at the university were an unforgettable experience. Writing the PhD was a process of hard work, but also at times less hard work, doubting myself and changing my mind several times, but it also allowed me to grow as an academic and as a person. I can say that during this time I have learned a lot about banking and banking regulation, I have also learned to accept failure, criticism and rejection, and also that hard work pays off. The working environment at the University is cosy and allows a lot of flexibility, which I really appreciated. But what I enjoyed the most are the colleagues that have become friends for live. I thus highly recommend to start a PhD at Ghent University!"

Eva Van BelleEva Van Belle

PhD in Economics at Ghent University (2018)
PostDoc for Université de Neuchâtel and NCCR - on the move

"After an international master and an internship at the UN in New York, I returned to Ghent University for a PhD in Economics. I use the word “returned” because the faculty and the department will always feel a bit like home to me. Doing a PhD is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but I am sure there is no better place to take on this challenge than the department of Economics. Everyone is warm, welcoming, knowledgeable and accessible. The administrative staff is always there to help you with anything, professors keep their doors open and are ready to provide useful feedback, and colleagues will make sure that you get enough food, drinks and distractions. If there is still something that could be improved, there is the OAP-council – which defends the interest of non-professorial academic staff. A great way to get to know the inner workings of a faculty – and all the great people making it work."

Jasmien De WinneJasmien De Winne

PhD in Economics at Ghent University (2018)
Diplomat at the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Brussels

"As a PhD Student at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration I appreciated the opportunities to follow courses, to attend summer schools, and to travel abroad for conferences. I tremendously enjoyed the support and guidance from my supervisor and other senior researchers and professors, who - despite their own research and teaching assignments - remained accessible. The Department of Economics has a broad international network, making it easy to link up with top researchers and institutions around the globe. Last but not least, as working towards that PhD is not always an easy and straightforward process, what I enjoyed a lot during my PhD were the warm atmosphere, the coffee breaks, lunches and Friday evening drinks with my fellow PhD students."

Brecht BooneBrecht Boone

PhD in Economics at Ghent University (2017)
Manager by E.CA Economics, Brussels

"I truly enjoyed my PhD studies at Ghent University. Being a PhD student at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, you will get the opportunity to work alongside top researchers and, above all, great colleagues. Throughout my PhD, I always felt supported, challenged and encouraged by my supervisor and colleagues, and also got the opportunity to attend interesting courses and conferences. Overall, the atmosphere is truly amazing. In addition, being a PhD student at Ghent University also allows you to enjoy life outside the PhD. Not only are there regular social events, Ghent is also an amazing city to live in. I highly recommend doing a PhD at Ghent University!"

Hauke VierkeHauke Vierke

Joint PhD in Economics at Ghent University and University of Göttingen, Germany (2015)
Economic Analyst at the European Commission, Brussels

"I initially started my PhD studies in Germany and joined Ghent University as part of a joint PhD agreement. Coming to Ghent was clearly one of the best decisions during my PhD years. The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration offers an excellent environment where young researchers are encouraged to develop and pursue their own academic interests. I have greatly benefited from discussing ideas with senior researchers, but also with other motivated PhD students. Most importantly, people at the faculty made me feel welcome from the first moment on. The administrative staff are very friendly and eager to help international students. Finally, it is easy to fall in love with the beautiful city of Ghent. I highly recommend coming here as an international PhD student."

Andrea AlbaneseAndrea Albanese

Joint PhD in Economics at Ghent University and University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy (2015)
Researcher at Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Esch-sur-Alzette 

"After beginning my doctoral studies in Italy, I started a joint PhD programme at Ghent University thanks to a scholarship funded by the Special Research Fund (BOF). In the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, I found an outstanding research environment and I immensely learned from its leading professors and senior researchers in the different fields of Economics. Besides the impressive research infrastructures, I greatly benefitted from the extended research network of the Faculty’s researchers, which extends well beyond the Belgian border. Studying at UGent was also fun, thanks to a friendly team of international and local PhD students ready to welcome you. My period at Ghent has been a corner pillar for my career development and, without doubts, I would definitely recommend doing a PhD at UGent."

Graduates per key research area

Latest Graduates

2023

First placement (when available) in parenthesis

  • Frederic Opitz, November 2023, Topics in Empirical Macroeconomics (European Commission)
  • Nicolas De Vijlder, October 2023, Essays on land and credit markets : the Southern Low Countries, 1400-1900 (one-pager and elevator-pitch) (BNP Paribas Fortis)
  • Tom Eeckhout, August 2023, Measuring corruption, intergenerational mobility and human capital using trace data : evidence from Russia (Ghent University) (one-pager)
  • Louis Lippens, August 2023, Recruiter says 'no' : measuring and explaining labour market discrimination (Ghent University)
  • Abel Ghekiere, May 2023, Better luck next time... New methodological approaches to understanding and reducing the mechanisms of rental discrimination
  • Astrid Buchmayr, January 2023, Development and application of a holistic sustainability assessment of energy technologies (Ghent University)
  • Pieter Van Rymenant, January 2023, The macroeconomic, distributional and welfare effects of estate taxation (Ghent University)

2022 (6)

2021 (9)

  • Kobra Ahmadpour, December 2021, Essays in Behavioral Finance: Investor Response to Oil Spills, and Hedge Fund and CTA Managers' Risk Shifting Behavior (Yuso)
  • Hannah Van Borm, November 2021, An Arab, a woman, and an old guy walk into a job interview: Examining explanations for discrimination in hiring (Stad Antwerpen)
  • Sam Hamels, September 2021, Realising a carbon-neutral European electricity system and building stock – technoeconomic and financial challenges (Ghent University)
  • Simon Amez, July 2021, Scroll, study, sleep, repeat! Examining the toxic love triangle between smartphone use, sleep quality and academic performance (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
  • Jessie Vantieghem, July 2021, Credit Rating Agencies and Their Role of Disseminating Information (KBC Bank & Verzekering)
  • Linh Nguyen Thi Dieu, June 2021, Climate change adaptation and sustainable agriculture : the case of saltwater intrusion and rice production in central coastal region of Vietnam (Hue college of economics)
  • Raheel Asif, May 2021, Essays on Asset Pricing, Financial Crisis, and Market Efficiency (Ghent University)
  • Bram De Lange, April 2021, State-Ownership and the European Economy (FOD Economie / SPF Economie / FPS Economy)
  • Jonas Van der Slycken, March 2021, Beyond GDP: alternative measures of economic welfare for the EU-15 (De Transformisten)

2020 (13)

  • Kevin Hoefman, November 2020, Live Agent-Based Models (Ghent University)
  • Elien Meuleman, October 2020, Macroprudential policy, monetary policy and bank stability in Europe (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Sarmad Zaman Rajper, October 2020, Essays on Prospects of Electric Vehicles in Pakistan (PTOLEMUS Consulting Group)
  • Joris Wauters, September 2020, Essays on wage and price inflation (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Désirée Vandenberghe, September 2020, The economics of preventive health care (Möbius Business Redesign)
  • Brecht Neyt, August 2020, How decisions in school affect how easily you find a job (and a date) (Ghent University)
  • Andres Algaba, August 2020,  Predictive data filters for timely economic and financial decision making (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
  • Thi Xuan Linh Nguyen, August 2020, Corporate sustainability performance in the emerging East Asian markets (University of Danang)
  • Stefanie Vanneste, April 2020, The effect of politics on the financial performance of Flemish local governments (Vlaamse Overheid)
  • Sümeyra Atmaca, March 2020, Institutions and networks (Ghent University)
  • Ruben Dewitte, January 2020, Firm heterogeneity in international trade (Ghent University)
  • Haya Al-Ajlani, January 2020, Well-being and state fragility: a non-paternalistic approach to well-being, a conceptual index of state fragility, and their (Ghent University)
  • Carel Johannes van der Merwe, January 2020, Classifying yield spread movements in sparse data through triplots (Ghent University, Stellenbosch University)

Former Graduates

2019 (8)

  • Martin Iseringhausen, November 2019, Unobserved components models in macroeconomics and finance (Ghent University)
  • Stef De Visscher, October 2019, Measuring total factor productivity and understanding its determinants (KBC, Finance & Risk)
  • Milan van den Heuvel, September 2019, Addressing socioeconomic challenges with micro-level trace data (Ghent University)
  • Bruno Ferreira Albuquerque, June 2019, Household debt, housing cycles, and interactions with monetary policy (Bank of England)
  • Hannes Stieperaere, June 2019, Investor behavior and the effect on financial markets (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Benjamin Schalembier, April 2019, How relative income affects life satisfaction (Flemish Government Department for Work & Social Economy)
  • Frederik Mergaerts, March 2019, Essays in financial economics (De Nederlandsche Bank)
  • Annelies Hoebeeck, February 2019, The tax benefit for mortgage payments : incentive effects and implications for house prices (Flemish Government Department for Finance and Budget)

2018 (7)

  • Vu Ha Phuoc, December 2018, Governance and Firm Efficiency in Vietnam (Danang University of Economics, Vietnam)
  • Thomas Matthys, December 2018, Topics in Financial Economics (Vlerick Business School)
  • Willem Devriendt, October 2018, Coping with Demographic Change: Macroeconomic Effects and Optimal Pension Reform. (IDEA Consult)
  • Ignace De Vos, October 2018, Panel Data Econometrics - Dynamics and Cross-Section Dependence (Lund University)
  • Eva Van Belle, June 2018, Getting Stuck in Unemployment: Pitfalls and Helping Hands. (Université de Neuchâtel)
  • Jasmien De Winne, Februari 2018, The Consequences of Food Price Changes: A Macroeconomic Perspective  (Belgian Foreign Affaires Department)
  • Yelter Bollen, February 2018, The domestic politics of EU trade policy : the political-economy of CETA and anti-dumping in Belgium and the Netherlands. (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

2017 (8)

  • Marco Bernardini, December 2017, Private Debt and Macroeconomic Stability (Bank of Italy)
  • Kevin Lampaert, December 2017, Essays on the FX market microstructure. (Wolters Kluwer)
  • Dinçer Afat, November 2017, Essays on exchange rates. 
  • Angelos Theodorakopoulos, August 2017, Internationalisation and firm performance. (KU Leuven, VIVES - Research Centre for Regional Economics)
  • Brecht Boone, June 2017, Labour Market Imperfections, Expectations and Fiscal Policy in Dynamic Macro Models (E.CA Economics) 
  • Gert Elaut, June 2017, Microeconomics of financial markets. (KBC Asset Management)
  • Ewoud Quaghebeur, May 2017, Expectations and the Macroeconomic Dynamics of Fiscal Policy (Ghent University)
  • Benjamin Vandermarliere, May 2017, A temporal network perspective of collective behavior in economic systems. (Ghent University)

2016 (3)

  • Murat Midiliç, December 2016, Essays on nonlinear time-series modeling and financial markets in emerging economies. (Deloitte Belgium)
  • Yannick Thuy, September 2016, Age, women, and employment: an evaluation. (Planbureau)
  • Garo Garabedian, January 2016, Essays on the procyclicality of financial cycles and the vulnerability of emerging markets. (Central Bank of Ireland)

2015 (9)

  • Andrea Albanese, December 2015, Employment of young and older workers: three policy evaluations. (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research - LISER)
  • Xing Han, December 2015, Essays on market microstructure and liquidity. (University of Otago, New Zealand)
  • Jose Figueroa Oropeza, December 2015, Children's opportunities and impact evaluation. (International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, USA)
  • Stijn Ronsse, December 2015, Explorations in Cliometrics. (Idea Consult; Ghent University)
  • Victoria Purice, October 2015, Multinational activity and firm performance. (University of Groningen)
  • Ruben Schoonackers, September 2015, Empirical Essays on Fiscal Policy, Growth and Consumption (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Samuel Standaert, September 2015, Economic integration and corruption : resolving measurement and endogeneity problems through state-space modeling. (Ghent University)
  • Hauke Vierke, September 2015, Macroeconomics and the Labor Market (European Commission)
  • Ruben Laleman, May 2015, Policies to support the low carbon electricity transition (CRB Centrale Raad voor Bedrijfsleven)

2014 (5)

  • Corinna Ghirelli, December 2014, Unemployment: scars and preferences. (National Bank of Spain)
  • Karolien Lenaerts, December 2014, Firm-level heterogeneity and the demand and supply side of foreign direct investment spillovers. 
  • Martien Lamers, October 2014, Essays on behavior and extreme events. (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nederland)
  • Selien De Schryder, September 2014, Topics in Monetary Economics (Ghent University)
  • Tim Buyse, June 2014, Public pension and debt policies in general equilibrium, (Flanders Social and Economic Council, research department)

2013 (13)

  • Frederick Van Gysegem, December 2013, Liquidity provision in the interbank foreign exchange market. (Roland Berger)
  • Sietse Bracke, October 2013, Empirical essays on the economics of divorce
  • Daan Isebaert, October 2013, Housing and Labour Market Performance (Flemish Organization for the Social Enterprise Sector)
  • Stijn Baert, August 2013, Transitions in youth : on springboards, waterfalls and bottlenecks. (UGent)
  • Bart Defloor, July 2013, Policy evaluation in a non-welfarist framework. (Hoge School Gent)
  • Nora Srzentić, July 2013, Banking and finance in Central and Eastern European countries
  • Arnoud Stevens, June 2013, Applications in dynamic stochastic general equilibrium macroeconomics (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Valerie De Bruyckere, May 2013, Bank risk, interconnectedness and bank business models. (European Bank Authority)
  • Glenn Schepens, May 2013, Essays in banking. (NNB)
  • Ilse Ruyssen, April 2013, Determinants of international migration. (Université catholique de Louvain)
  • Mustafa Disli, April 2013, Essays on the Turkisch Banking System. (Ghent University)
  • Renaat Van de Kerckhove, April 2013, Public Policy, Employment and Growth in Open Economies (Infrabel)
  • Klaas Mulier, March 2013, Investment, growth and the access to finance of firms: an empirical analysis

2012 (4)

  • Joost Vandenbossche, December 2012, Essays on the partnership problem
  • Benjamin Verhelst, September 2012, Price Rigidity in Europe and the US: Measurement and Explanation using Scanner Data (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants)
  • Marijn Verschelde, June 2012, Nonparametric production and frontier analysis: applications in economics
  • Ine Van Robays, May 2012, The interactions between oil, the macroeconomy and monetary policy (European Central Bank)

2011 (2)

2010 (3)

  • Christa Sys, December 2010, Inside the box: assessing the competitive conditions, the concentration and the market structure of the container liner shipping industry
  • Punnoose Jacob, May 2010, Three essays in dynamic stochastic macroeconomics (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
  • Lieven Baert, March 2010, The effect of banks on the external finance behavior of firms

2009 (1)

  • Christiane Baumeister, December 2009, Empirical macro models in a time-varying framework (Bank of Canada)

2008 (8)

  • Maarten Dossche, December 2008, Essays on inflation dynamics (National Bank of Belgium)
  • Alexei Karas, December 2008, Essays on the Russian Banking System
  • Bert Vanbergen, October 2008, Are social welfare states facing a race to the bottom?: a theoretical perspective
  • Roeland Bracke, September 2008, New ways of governing environmental pollution from business : voluntary approach from an institutional economic perspective
  • Bart Leyman, September 2008, An economic analysis of creditor behavior in distressed companies
  • Arne Schollaert, June 2008, Civil conflict and its causes
  • Tino Berger, May 2008, Identifying and explaining structural unemployment (University of Münster)
  • Thomas Demuynck, April 2008, Binary extensions and choice theory

2007 (3)

  • Ferre De Graeve, December 2007, Interactions between the real and financial economy (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas)
  • Olivier De Jonghe, December 2007, Competition and risk in financial institutions and the implications for financial stability
  • Elsy Verhofstadt, September 2007, Qualitative aspects of entry jobs

2006 (5)

  • Gleb Lanine, December 2006, Topics on modeling risk in transitional economy
  • Sophie Claeys, May 2006, Optimal regulatory design in banking in transition economies
  • Koen Inghelbrecht, May 2006, The comovement of asset returns
  • Dieter Verhaest, May 2006, Overeducation in the labour market
  • Mattias Neyt, February 2006, Economic evaluation of medical innovations

2005 (4)

  • Roland Luttens, December 2005, Essays on non-welfaristic redistribution
  • Bruno Merlevede, May 2005, The effects of economic reform and foreign direct investment on the domestic economy and the domestic companies of Central and Eastern European transition countries
  • Wim Van Hyfte, May 2005, The predictability of bond and stock returns and the implications for portfolio allocation
  • Niko Gobbin, January 2005, Economic growth, income inequality and welfare states

2004 (1)

  • Sabien Dobbelaere, May 2004, An Analysis of Union Behaviour and Wage Formation in a Globalised Word (VU University Amsterdam)

2003 (1)

  • Lorenzo Pozzi, January 2003, Fiscal Policy, Government Debt and Private Consumption (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

2002 (2)

  • Johan Albrecht, April 2002, Institutional and instrumental innovations for environmental policy
  • Tom Verbeke, April 2002, Essays on the international economic order and environmental policy: the opportunities and threats for an open economy

2000 (1)

  • Gerdie Everaert, November 2000, Public Capital, Economic Growth and the Labour Market (Ghent University)