HIAS Bridges NEXT

Etienne Makdissi

Research field:Family and Labor Economics

●What are your current research interests?

Marriage Formation and Location Choice

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Satisfying my curiosity

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

Improving our understanding of society

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

Desire to explain why society is structured as it is, and to try to find out how to improve it.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Better understanding of the relationship between family and socio-economic structures.

Elnura Baiaman kyzy

Research field:Mainly macroeconomics, with a focus on monetary and fiscal policy, uncertainty and, a love for Bayesian estimation

●What are your current research interests?

Currently I am working on stochastic volatility models and nonlinear filters.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Uncovering new insights and solving both old and new puzzles

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

A long journey of exploring new ideas and solutions

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

The amazing women in science!

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Keep exploring, keep solving, and keep enjoying my job!

Julia Mariko Jacoby

Research field:Early modern Japanese environmental and economic history

●What are your current research interests?

I currently research the complex natural resource networks of early modern Japanese villages and how they continued into the Meiji period.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I love to connect with people from the past through reading sources and to connect with colleagues about research.

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

Research, for me, is an opportunity to never stop learning.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I’ve always been curious and loved analyzing things.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I want to be a researcher who brings people together internationally.

Wenjiao Hu

Research field:International economics, monetary economics

●What are your current research interests?

exchange rate linkage with economic variables in developing countries

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I often enjoy the feeling of attention-focusing during research.

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

I treat academic research as a way to improve my personal integrity.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

To save the world.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I want to make more contribution to financial stability in international community

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

Akira Hatsukawa

Research field:International law and constitutional law

●What are your current research interests?

Domestic application of international human rights treaties.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Finding something new about human rights in Japan (in light of international law, not just the Constitution of Japan).

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

Climbing (hard and exhausting, but can also be rewarding with a magnificent view).

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

A question I had when I was an undergraduate: why are international standards of human rights not necessarily discussed frequently and sufficiently in Japan?

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Bridging international law and constitutional law, which would contribute to better human rights protection in Japan.

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.

Fumi Yoshimoto

Research field:The European Union Law

●What are your current research interests?

The European Parliament election 2024

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Sharing ideas with others

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

Accumulation of the results we never know unless we try

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

One thing led to another and I ended up being a researcher.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I wish I could become a researcher like my supervisors and the colleagues.

Kareman Yassin

Research field:Applied Microeconomics and Enviromental Economics

●What are your current research interests?

My current research closely aligns with global efforts for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I enjoy delving deeply into topics that sparks my curiosity with the goal of making contributions that could benefit others in the future.

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

Developing a deep and comprehensive understanding of a single topic.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

My grandfather, a professor of physiology, had a deep love for science and was known for his strong work ethic and unwavering commitment to both his research and his students.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

To establish collaborations with both the public and private sectors to develop innovative, feasible, and evidence-based policies that bring us closer to achieving the net-zero carbon emission target.