RECENT GRADUATES OF THE PH.D. PROGRAM in ECONOMICS

at

VIRGINIA TECH

 

 

Name

Dissertation Title and Employment

Advisor

Year 2007

 

 

Mongado, Blair

“Essays in Child Care Quality”

Employed:  Visiting Instructor at Wake Forest University

Dr. Yang

Year 2006

 

 

Chen, Weijia “Vivien”

“Essays on Rural-Urban Migration China

Employed:  Economist with The Conference Board

Dr. Yang

Hareau, Guy Gaston

Transgenic Rice in Asia: A General Equilibrium Assessment of Potential Welfare Effects and Regional Distribution.”  Employed: Researcher at the National Agricultural Research Institute, Uruguay

Dr. Norton

and

Dr. Mills

Koutris, Andreas

“Testing for structural change:  Evaluation of the current methodologies, a misspecification testing perspective and applications”

Employed:  Senior Associate, Decision Science Capabilities, Risk Management, Discover Financial Services

Dr. Spanos

Liang, Yan

An Ex Ante Analysis of the Effects of Transgenic Rice on Farm Households’ Nutritional Vulnerability in Bangladesh.” Employed:  Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

Dr. Norton

and

Dr. Reaves

Marku, Marenglen

“Empirical Essays in Earnings and Labor Markets in Developing and Transition Economies”

Employment:  Senior Associate at KPMG LLP

Dr. Salehi-Isfahani

Year 2005

 

 

Cheng, Fuzhi

“Effects of Exchange Rate Misalignment on Agricultural Producer Support Estimates: Empirical Evidence from India and China

Employed: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Dr. Orden

Grover, Mansi

“Essays on Risk and Uncertainty in Greenhouse Gas Trading Markets”

Employed: Post doctoral teaching fellow, Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech National Capital Region Campus

Dr. Bosch

Halich, Gregory Stewart

“Estimating Changes in Residential Water Demand for Voluntary and Mandatory Water-Use Restrictions Implemented during the 2002 Virginia Drought”

Dr. Stephenson

Rojas, Christian

 

“Demand Estimation with Differentiated Products:  An Application to Price Competition in the US Brewing Industry”

Employed: Department of Economics, University of Texas, Dallas

Dr. Peterson

and

Dr. Lutz

Whitacre, Brian E.

“Bridging the Rural - Urban Digital Divide in Residential Internet Access”

Employed: Instructor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech

Dr. Mills

Yamagiwa, Takayoshi Jose

“An Assessment of Technical Barriers in Central American Agricultural and Food Trade”

Employed: Independent consultant, El Salvador

Dr. Orden

and

Dr. Peterson

Year 2004

 

 

Akobundu, Eberechukwu

“Two Essays on Resource Economics: A Study of the Statistical Evidence for Global Warming and An Analysis of Overcompliance with Effluent Standards Among Wastewater Treatment Plants”

Employed: Pharmacoeconomist, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

Dr. Stephenson

and

Dr. Spanos

Badasyan, Narine

 

“Game Theoretic Models of Connectivity Among Internet Access Providers”

Employed:  Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Economics, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky

Dr. Gilles

Bergtold, Jason Scott

Advances in Applied Econometrics: Binary Discrete Choice Models, Artificial Neural Networks, and Asymmetries in the FAST Multistage Demand System”

Employed: Agricultural Economist, Soils Dynamic Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, Auburn, Alabama

Dr. Taylor

and

Dr. Spanos

Chakrabarti, Subhadip

“Network Formation and Economic Applications”

Employed:  Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Dr. Gilles and

Dr. Haller

Faridi, Rushad

 

Microcredit Programs in Bangladesh:  Evaluation of Women’s Success”

Employed:  Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Dr. Yang

Komai, Mana

 

“An Economic Theory of Leadership”

Employed: Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Economics, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota

Dr. Eckel

Perry, Elizabeth

 

“State-Supported Postsecondary Merit Aid: Georgia's Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Scholarship and Its Effects on Student Schooling”

Employed:  Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Economics, Randolph Macon Women’s College, Lynchburg, Virginia

Dr. Salehi

Phillips, Spencer R

Windfalls for Wilderness: Land Protection and Land Value in the Green Mountains

Employed: Senior Resource Economist, The Wilderness Society, Washington, D.C.

Dr. McGuirk

Souri, Davo`od

Theoretical and Applied Essays on the Instrumental Variable Method

Employed: Assistant Professor, Department of Management and Economics, Sharif University, Tehran, Iran.

Dr. Salehi

Year 2003

 

 

Dawson, Robert

Vertical Integration in Commercial Fisheries”

Employed: Assistant Professor, Washington College

Dr. Peterson

Heracleous, Maria

 

“Volatility Modeling Using the Student’s t Distribution”

Employed:  Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Economics, American University, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Spanos

Edwards, Jeffrey

“A Statistical Approach to Empirical Macroeconomic Modeling with Practical Applications”

Employed:  Texas Tech University

Dr. Cothren

McLeod, Mark

“Essays in Experimental Economics and Industry Structure”

Employed:  Instructor, Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Eckel

and

Dr. Lutz

Parrett, Matthew

 

“The Give and Take on Restaurant Tipping”

Employed:  Economist, Deloitte and Tauche, Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Eckel

and

Dr. Stegeman

Year 2002

 

 

Daku, Lefter S.

“Assessing Farm-Level and Aggregate Economic Impacts of Olive Integrated Pest Management Programs in Albania: An Ex-Ante Analysis”

Employed:  Economic Data Analyst, Financial Aid Administration, Virginia Tech

Dr. Norton

and

Dr. Taylor

Frizelle, Julie Dolan

“The Causes and Effects of Commercial Bank

Participation in the Federal Home Loan Bank System”

Employed:  Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Bonomo

and

Dr. Tideman

Gray, James Katon

“The Groundnut Market in Senegal: Examination of Price and Policy Changes”

Employed: Deputy Director of the American Relief Commission, Sierra Leon

Dr. Norton

Maza Duerto, Octavio

“Essays on Fertility and the Economy in Venezuela

 

Dr. Salehi

McEntarfer, Erika

“Three Essays on Social Networks in Labor Markets”

Employed:  Census Bureau, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Tideman

Mikami, Kazuhiko

“Market Failure and Forms of Enterprise

Employed:  Truman State University

Dr. Haller

Moore, Evan

“An Investigation into the Demand for Service Contracts”

Employed:  Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama

Dr. Lutz

Mousavi, Shabnam

“Methodological Foundations for Bounded Rationality as a Primary Framework”

Dr. Tideman

Year 2001

 

 

Peng, Wei

“Improving Nitrogen Management in Corn-Wheat/Soybean Rotations Using Site-Specific Management in Eastern Virginia

Defended:  September 21, 2001

Employed:  Statistician, PRA International, Charlottesville, VA

Dr. Bosch

Chen, Xiaofen

“Financial Liberalization, Competition and Sound Banking:  Theoretical and Empirical Essays”

Defended:  July 31, 2001

Employed:  Assistant Professor, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO

Dr. Feltenstein

Ersado, Lire

“Three Essays in Development Economics:  Savings Behavior and Risk; Health and Public Investments; and Sequential Technology Adoption”

Defended:  July 23, 2001

Employed:  Young Professionals Program, The World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Alwang

and

Dr. Amacher

Groover, Gordon

“Financial Performance of Pasture-Based Dairies:  A Virginia Case Study”

Defended:  April 2, 2001

Employed:  Instructor, Virginia Tech

Dr. Taylor

and

Dr. Pease

Year 2000

 

 

Halili, Rushan

“Methods for Evaluating Agricultural Enterprises in the Framework of Uncertainty Facing Tobacco Producing Regions of Virginia”

Defended:  November 22, 1999

Employed:  Account Manager and Consultant, Reliable Accounting & Consulting Services, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Purcell

and

Dr. Taylor

Johnson, Cathy

“Social Capital and Conventions:  A Social Networks Perspective”

Defended:  April 14, 2000

Employed:  Social Research and Demonstration Corp., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Gilles

Kaltsas, Ioannis

“Spatial Econometrics Revisited:  A Case Study of Land Values in Roanoke, County”

Defended:  October 31, 2000

Employed:  Economist, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg

Dr. Bosch

Kyureghian, Hrachya

“Theory and Simulations in Spatial Economics”

Defended:  January 28, 2000

Employed:  Teaching at American University of Armenia

Dr. Gilles

and

Dr. Haller 

Lavoie, Chiara Gratton

“Essays on Privatization”

Defended:  June 6, 2000

Employed:  Full-time lecturer of Economics at California State University, Fullerton, CA

Dr. Lutz

and

Dr. Stegeman

Sarangi, Sudipta

“Exploring Payoffs and Beliefs in Game Theory”

Defended:  July 31, 2000

Employed:  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Dr. Haller

and

Dr. Gilles

Name

Position

Employer

Year 1999

 

 

Robert Bowles

Instructor

Radford University

Leah Cuyno

Economist

 

Northern Economics, Inc.

Mark Fina

Senior Economist

North Pacific Fisheries Management

Wai-Hong Ho

Researcher

Academia Sinica Res. Inst., Taiwan

Jeff Mullen

Assistant Professor

University of Georgia

John Yan

Economist

William Wecker Associates

Year 1998

 

 

Fatma Aksal

Financial Consultant

Turkey