Graduate students at the Department of Economics have attracted the attention of external funding agencies and been awarded scholarships for the upcoming term.
OGS Awards
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program is a merit-based award jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto among other participating institutions. Funding is $10,000 for two consecutive terms or $15,000 for three.
PhD students Olivia Yu, Aaron Roth, Alex Ballyk, Tasnia Hussain, Jerome Lyons, James Macek, Andrew Paulley, and Reza Moradi Gharibvand all won OGS awards, as did in-coming MA student Kiril Mojsov.
The recipients engage in a broad range of economics research topics and all of them were grateful for the support.
“I’m very grateful to receive generous support in the form of OSG funding, as the OSG will enable my travel to some important economic policy conferences taking place in the Fall, where I will be presenting some of my recent research in health economics,” said Olivia Yu.
“I am excited to have been awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship this year,” said Tasnia Hussain. “This support will help further my research on optimal climate policy in an unequal world using a macroeconomic framework. The goal is to advance our understanding of effective strategies for mitigating climate change while keeping distributional concerns in mind.”
“As a behavioural and experimental economist, I am part of a relatively small research community,” said Alex Ballyk. “I feel that this award recognizes both my work and the importance of my field. I look forward to continuing to study how people make decisions.”
“I am honoured to be awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship to support me in my graduate studies in economics,” said Aaron Roth. “My goals are to research climate economics and competitive markets to see how we can solve our most important problems.”
“I am grateful to have been awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship,” said Reza Moradi Gharibvand. “This prestigious scholarship recognizes my academic achievements and research potential. “Achieving this in such a short time since coming to Canada reflects my ambition and dedication to my studies.”
“It means a great deal to me that the province has recognized my research on housing affordability as important,” said James Macek. “This award will help me finish the journey in my final year as a PhD student.”
“Receiving the OSG affirmed the fact that my commitment to academics and my passion for economics will lead to long-term success, during a particularly turbulent moment in my personal life,” said in-coming MA student Kiril Mosjov.
CGS Awards
The Canada Graduate Scholarships are distributed across both its doctoral (CGS D) and master’s program (CGS M). The federal program is administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
The scholarships support and promote research excellence in a variety of disciplines. Three PhD students, Stephen Claassen, Robert Proner, and Stefan Fassler and MA student Carly MacDonald all won CGS funding. The CGS D program provides funding of $35 000 for up to three years while the CGS M program provides $17,500 for one year.
“It is an honour to receive the CGS D and to be entrusted with pursuing new frontiers in economics,” said Robert Proner. “This scholarship will enable me to advance the field of macroeconomic forecasting, ultimately providing policymakers with powerful and flexible tools to safeguard and improve the standard of living for Canadians in any macroeconomic climate.”
PhD student Stefan Fassler also won a CGS D and incoming MA student Carly MacDonald won CGS funding.
“This funding enables me to further develop my skills, collaborate with leading experts at the University of Toronto, and progress towards becoming a productive agent in the field of economics,” said Carly MacDonald. “I am grateful to have received this support from the U of T’s Department of Economics and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.”
“I am honoured to have received the Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award from the SSHRC and am very grateful for the support I have received at the University of Toronto, from my supervisor, Professor Kory Kroft and from program alumnus, Professor Jean-William Laliberté. This award will enable me to fully focus on my doctoral studies thus supporting my continued development as a researcher.”
“I feel grateful and honoured to have been selected as one of the recipients of a Canadian Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral award by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council,” said Stefan Fassel. “Receiving this award will facilitate my development at becoming a competent researcher and contributor to the field of economics.”
Mary H. Beatty Fellowship
MA student Mekhalaa Muraly won the Mary H. Beatty Fellowship. This scholarship provides first-year graduate NSERC students with $5000 in additional funds above their stipend.
“Winning the Mary H. Beatty Fellowship is an honour and a significant milestone in my academic journey,” said Mekhalaa Muraly. “Being among the select few international students to receive this fellowship is both a humbling and motivating experience. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity by seeking guidance from distinguished research mentors, exploring my interests in development and gender economics, and conducting empirical research on how government policies impact vulnerable populations.”
SSHRC Fellowship
Finally, Nasir Hussain Dad has won an SSHRC Fellowship with a value of $40,000 for 2024-2025. These fellowships support high-calibre doctoral students in the social sciences and humanities, enabling them to fully focus on their studies.
“The fellowship will support my research on market policies, innovation and economic growth. One project that pushes this avenue is my joint work with Duc Nguyen on the impact of corporate lobbying on innovation and economic growth,” said Nasir whose supervisor is Professor Diego Restuccia while members of his thesis committee members include Laurent Cavenaile, Murat Alp Celik, and Eugene Tan.
Photo credits: Photos of Olivia Yu, James Macek, Reza Moradi Gharibvand, Stephen Claassen, Stefan Fassler and Nasir Hossein Dad were taken by Adriano Macedo. All others by the subjects’ families.
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