HIAS Bridges NEXT

Haitao Cheng

Research field:International trade theory

●What are your current research interests?

trade and the environment, border carbon adjustments, carbon pricing

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Develop interesting models, obtain interesting results.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Research means solving the questions that you cannot answer with Google.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

Google usually does not work well in answering my questions. So, why not do it by myself?

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Publish good papers in good journals.

Huynh Nguyen Khoi

Research field:International Relations, Quantitative Methodology

●What are your current research interests?

My main interests are studying the dynamics between globalization and populism. I am also working on applications of machine learning and causal inference methods in social sciences.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Finishing a project and sharing my ideas with others

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Understand the world more little by little

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I have always been curious about studying politics, but it was my professors and mentors that really inspired me to pursue research and academia.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I hope to expand my skillset and collaborate with many other researchers.

Thomas Monnier

Research field:Urban and development economics

●What are your current research interests?

Migration, informality, climate change, structural transformation

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Interacting with many stakeholders while keeping independence and freedom

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Getting excited about new ideas, then keeping a cool head and persevere to bring projects to an end

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

Meeting inspiring people, and a love for social sciences and humanities in general

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Engage with policymakers and develop a truly trans-disciplinary research agenda to maximize impact

Hamza Umer

Research field:Economics

●What are your current research interests?

Lab and Field Experiments, Development Economics, Applied Microeconomics, Islamic Finance, Labor Market

●What do you enjoy most about research?

The opportunity to conduct economic experiments with diverse people and understand unique factors (such as religion) that influence decision-making is the most interesting aspect of my research.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

A systematic analysis of behavior in different contexts.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I always enjoyed education and selecting research as a career was a natural choice for me. Along the way, my parents provided me the necessary strength to pursue my interests in research. Correspondingly, several professors have further inspired research interests in me and I hope to emulate their footsteps.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

At the moment there are three key goals. First, I would like to continue exploring unique factors that influence economic decisions. I believe such a research can enrich our understanding about unexplored aspects of decision-making that can ultimately help in micro-level policies. Second, I would like to continue field research (RCTs & Experiments) in the less developed societies and suggest evidence-based policies for enhancing wellbeing. Third, I would like to collaborate with other researchers and explore the application of economic experiments in the related research fields.

Mitsuhiko Ishikawa

Research field:Social Neuroscience, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

●What are your current research interests?

How do humans execute appropriate social behaviours in response to various contexts?
How do humans acquire sociality throughout development?

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Eureka moment—such as when a groundbreaking experimental design, task, or theory emerges after long hours of contemplation.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Everyday life

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

My grandfather was a university professor, so I was familiar with academia from a young age.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Research has no final destination, so I aspire to be a researcher who continues exploring until the very end of my life.

Mengying Peng

Research field:Applied economics, development economics, and the economics of education.

●What are your current research interests?

My research interests include human capital development, education policy, educational inequality, and students’ college and major choices. I am also exploring the use of machine learning in my work.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

My research interests include human capital development, education policy, educational inequality, and students’ college and major choices. I am also exploring the use of machine learning in my work.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

For me, research is a bridge between my own experiences and broader realities, helping me understand the world more deeply and connect with diverse people.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I love doing research – every time I complete an analysis and uncover something interesting, it brings me joy. That passion led me to become a researcher, and I feel lucky to have made it happen.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I hope to contribute to reducing educational inequality by making better-quality educational resources more accessible. At the same time, I want my research to support students in making informed choices that empower them to build the lives they aspire to.

Hiroki Shinozaki

Research field:Mechanism Design / Market Design

●What are your current research interests?

Auctions

●What do you enjoy most about research?

It’s fun when an idea takes shape.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

For me, research is like a curry party.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I have been enlightened.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I would like to dedicate myself to research like a rhinoceros.

Kim Honjik

Research field:Built environment and human behavior

●What are your current research interests?

Social sustainability, including health promotion, aging in place, well-being, and social participation

●What do you enjoy most about research?

When I was able to add a brick to the foundation of studies

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Adventure for a better future/life

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I am interested in the topic of “where we prefer to live.” As East Asian countries are facing rapid population aging, I have focused my research on the types of neighborhoods that older adults are most satisfied with.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I hope my research will help create living environments where people of all ages can feel happy.

Junichi Kikuchi

Research field:Macroeconomics

●What are your current research interests?

Expectation / Inflation / Consumption / Measurement

●What do you enjoy most about research?

When embarking on new data and/or new projects

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

A hobby that never gets boring

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

If I had to choose, I would say the experience of devoting hour after hour in research in my graduate school years.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

A researcher who is not only enthusiastic in research but also education.

Davide Luigi Totaro

Research field:Comparative Private Law

●What are your current research interests?

Contracts, Insurance, Fintech/Insurtech, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Protection

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Providing solutions and insights on practical legal issues while advancing the theoretical framework, bridging the gap between industry and academia

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Advance human knowledge-understanding and problem-solving capability

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

The freedom to research, express yourself, and pursue knowledge, privileges that only academia can grant.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Furthering my knowledge and expertise in academia while engaging with private and public entities in the hope of working together toward common standards for trade and governance, especially in areas such as Artificial Intelligence.