Department of Economics
News and Events


2011


 
Yongchen Zhao wins Pong S. Lee Endowment Award
Yongchen Zhao is the first recipient of the Pong S. Lee Endowment Award for Outstanding Reasearch. The Award is given to 4th year Ph.D. student with outstanding research records. Yongchen received $500 with the award.

Vacancy Announcement: Assistant Professor

The Department of Economics invites applications for a tenure track assistant professor position in applied econometrics beginning in fall 2012. Candidates should have strong interest in both methodological and empirical research, potential for research funding, and the ability to teach econometrics at the advanced Ph.D. level. Applicants should expect to have a Ph.D. by September 2012. The normal teaching load is two courses per semester. Applicants must address in their applications their ability to work with and instruct a culturally diverse population. Degrees must be from a university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization. Applications should be received by December 9, 2011 to be considered for an interview in Chicago. The University at Albany is an equal opportunity-affirmative action, Immigration Reform and Control Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act employer. For more information, email econ@albany.edu or phone (518)442-4735.

Application instructions
Candidates should submit a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, a sample of recent research online through Interview Exchange: http://albany.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=27438
and at least three letters of reference should be sent to Econometrics Search, Department of Economics, Business Administration 110, University at Albany – SUNY, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222


 

Photos of Department of Economics Commencement Spring 2011

To download the photos of Department of Economics Commencement spring 2011, please visit the web albums. Login with Account name: UAECON2011 Password: 2011uaecon.


People in the News
  • 2002 B.S. Michael Luca accepted a four-year appointment as an assistant professor at Harvard Business School.

 
Professors Describe Minority Health Awareness Gap
In a recent University news release, Professors Kajal Lahiri and Pinka Chatterji, along with Ph.D. student Heesoo Joo, describe patient awareness of two chronic medical conditions. They find that African-Americans are less likely to be aware that they have hypertension, and that African-Americans and Latinos are less likely to be aware that they have diabetes. The study was funded through a $1.1 million NIH grant (described below), as part of a Center grant for UAlbany's Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities.

2010


People in the News

 
Pong S. Lee Award
The Department is seeking donations to establish the Pong S.Lee Award for outstanding research by Ph.D. students. The award is named for the late Professor Pong Lee, a long-time faculty member instrumental in building the Department and the Ph.D. program. If established with a minimum amount of $25,000, the fund will generate income to make an annual award in Pong’s name for perpetuity. Individuals wishing to support this award should make a donation to the Pong Lee Memorial Fund through the University at Albany Foundation.

 
Laiwu Zhang wins International Alumni Excellence Award
1995 Ph.D. Laiwu Zhang is the 2011 winner of UAlbany's International Alumni Excellence Award. Dr. Zhang is a major figure in the central administration of economic policy in the People's Republic of China. Since 2008, he has been China's Vice Minister of Science and Technology. In this position, he is one of the country's chief planners for government investments in renewable energy, transportation and communication innovations, and production processes. His previous appointments include senior positions, including Vice Chairman, in China's Ningxia Province.

 
Economics Department places in top 10 percent
In the November 2010 RePEc rankings of all U.S. economics institutions (academic and non-academic), UAlbany placed in the top 10%.

 
Edward F. Renshaw: 1933 - 2010
Professor Emeritus Edward F. Renshaw, who taught in the Economics Department for over 30 years, died on January 14, 2010. A remembrance can be found on the university website. To view an online memorial or send a message of condolence, click here.

2009


People in the News

 
Kajal Lahiri and Pinka Chatterji Receive $1.1 million as Part of Successful NIH Center Grant
UAlbany's Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD) has received a $6.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. As part of the grant, Professors Kajal Lahiri (project PI) and Pinka Chatterji, along with UAlbany Ph.D. Zulkarnain Pulungan, will examine whether health differences among racial and ethnic groups in small cities and towns are similar to those in major cities, and whether these differences have changed over time. This project, which will receive $1.1 million over the next five years, will support two students and many other research activities.

 
John Jones Awarded MRRC Grant
Professor John Bailey Jones was recently awarded a grant from the Michigan Retirement Research Center (MRRC). The project, which is funded by the Social Security Administration, will analyze how out-of-pocket medical expenses and bequest motives affect the saving of elderly singles, and use AHEAD data to disentangle the two saving motivations. The project will utilize the detailed model of saving behavior that Professor Jones and his co-authors developed in earlier work.

 
Pinka Chatterji Awarded NICHD Grant
Professor Pinka Chatterji was recently awarded a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to study the effectiveness of Bicycle Helmet Laws. Professor Chatterj will use annual, hospital-level data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to assess whether mandatory helmet laws implemented between 1991 and 2007 were effective in reducing injuries among youth. Professor Kajal Lahiri is collaborating and providing econometric expertise on the project.

 
Professor Joop Hartog Visits the Department
Professor Joop Hartog, a labor economist from the University of Amsterdam, visited the Department during September and October. Professor Hartog is an internationally recognized scholar with hundreds of publications. He is co-founder of the journal Labour Economics, and is a former member of the Dutch Council of Economic Advisors.

 
Professor John Geanakoplos Visits the Department
John Geanakoplos of Yale University visited the Department on September 11, participating in a panel discussion on the financial crisis (along with Professors Daniel and Dieffenbach), and giving a research seminar on "The Leverage Cycle". Geanakoplos, the James Tobin Professor of Economics, has published widely on the theory of general equilibrium under uncertainty and on financial securitization. He is also co-founder and partner of a large hedge fund.

 
Kajal Lahiri made a Fellow of the International Institute of Forecasters
Professor Kajal Lahiri was made a Fellow of the International Institute of Forecasters at the 29th Annual International Symposium on Forecasting, June 2009, Hong Kong. 

 
Gultekin Isiklar and Kajal Lahiri win IJF Best Paper Prize
The paper "How Far Ahead Can we Forecast?" (IJF Vol. 23, 2007,
pp. 167-87), co-authored by Professor Kajal Lahiri and Gultekin Isiklar, Albany Ph.D. 2005, won a $1000 prize and the Best Paper Award for 2006 and 2007 from the International Journal of Forecasting.  There were over 140 papers in the competition, including papers by leaders of the field.