2026 Graduate Student Award Winners

The Department of Economics is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual graduate student awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in tutoring, academic performance, and teaching.

The inaugural Excellence in Tutoring Award has been presented to Jayasree Bachalakuri and Silvey Shamsi. Established this year, this new award highlights the vital role that peer tutors play in student success and academic support across the department.

The Best Preliminary Examination Performance Award is presented to the student who achieves the most outstanding overall performance on the department’s preliminary examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics, a major milestone completed at the end of the first year of doctoral study. This year’s recipient is Xingjian Liang, whose exceptional performance on these rigorous examinations reflects a strong mastery of graduate-level economic theory.

The Helen Horowitz Award has been awarded to Rui Li in recognition of excellence in teaching, based on undergraduate student evaluations. The award honors Professor Helen Horowitz’s remarkable contributions as a dedicated teacher and undergraduate advisor.

Finally, the Thad Mirer Teaching Award has been awarded to Hyoshin Ki, Chuantai Yuan, and Dewei Xing for their outstanding teaching records. This prize honors Emeritus Professor Thad Mirer’s lasting contributions as Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Please join us in congratulating all of our award winners for their outstanding achievements and dedication.