Loughborough Business School has an excellent reputation when it comes to research and faculty members here are widely respected across the academic community for their high standards of scholarship. Completing my research here means I am constantly pushed to increase the level of rigour I incorporate into my thesis, which is a fantastic mindset for research.
PhD title: Fiscal Policy, Heterogeneity and Uncertainty
Tell us about your research.
I look at the relationship between fiscal policy, inequality and economic uncertainty using dynamic macroeconomic models, specifically the effects of government spending and taxation shocks on individual welfare and the distribution of wealth and income. My research strategy involves building and estimating macroeconomic models based on empirical time series data.
What inspired you to continue onto further study?
Being introduced to serious macroeconomic modelling during my MSc and realising that I could learn to contribute to this field through undertaking a PhD.
What impact do you hope your research makes?
My research’s primary contribution is to the design and implementation of optimal government policy with respect to decisions of spending and taxation.
What did you do before your PhD?
Before my PhD, I undertook my MSc in Economics at the University of Sheffield.
Why did you decide to come to Loughborough University?
I decided to come to Loughborough because of the reputation of the Business School and specifically the Department of Economics, and because I believed that there was a substantial interest in my particular field among the existing faculty.
What do you think about the teaching quality/facilities? How have they helped?
Having taught myself, I think the teaching facilities at Loughborough are very good. There is a degree of independence given to teaching staff regarding how to deliver material to students and this has been very helpful to me in developing my own teaching skills.
Has your research been published? If so, how do you feel this will help you as an early career researcher?
My research has not been published but I am writing my thesis in three separate chapters, with the intention of sending them off for publication in the near future, before I finish my PhD.
How are you funding your PhD?
I am self-funded.
What are some of the exciting/different things you can do with your research/whilst carrying out research?
We have internal seminars available for researchers to present their work to other doctoral researchers and staff. We also have a range of conferences across the school and the University, for example, the LB doctoral conference that is organised by doctoral researchers for the purpose of presenting their work and getting feedback from established faculty members.
What are your plans for the future?
I am planning to finish my PhD next year, and in the meantime I plan to try and find either a postdoctoral position, or if things go well, a lecturer position somewhere in the UK.
How do you think completing your research at Loughborough will help you achieve these ambitions?
Loughborough Business School has an excellent reputation when it comes to research and faculty members here are widely respected across the academic community for their high standards of scholarship. Completing my research here means I am constantly pushed to increase the level of rigour I incorporate into my thesis, which is a fantastic mindset for research.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of undertaking a PhD at Loughborough?
I would recommend drafting an idea about what you want to research (the research question, the methods, the data etc) and contact a faculty member whose interests line up with yours, as they will give you honest advice about what a PhD is like and whether or not the way you view research is the way they do.
What is your favourite thing about being a Loughborough student?
I do not have one single thing that I consider my favourite aspect, but it is the entire experience of being a Loughborough student that I get to enjoy on a day-to-day basis.
