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IWH-DPE graduate placements 2024: St Andrews and the Bank of England

Eleonora Sfrappini from the Financial Markets department and Tommaso Bighelli from the Structural Change and Productivity department and the CompNet team have very successfully completed the 2024 international academic job market.

Eleonora will be joining the Business School at the University of St Andrews, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the UK, in the Department of Finance.

Tommaso will be a Research Economist in the Macro-Financial Risk Department at the Bank of England, one of the most innovative and research-orientated central banks. 

Statement by the Head of the IWH Doctoral Programme in Economics (IWH-DPE) Professor Michael Koetter, Ph.D

As Head of the IWH Doctoral Programme in Economics (IWH-DPE), I am very pleased with the results of Eleonora Sfrappini and Tommaso Bighelli on the job market.

Their success at prestigious research institutions such as St Andrews and the Bank of England encourages us to continue our efforts to provide internationally competitive and academically excellent training for research economists here at IWH and together with our partners in the Central German Doctoral Programme in Economics (CGDE).

Our internationally recruited faculty with excellent expertise - reflected in regular contributions to leading journals in the fields of entrepreneurship, financial economics, labour market economics, macroeconomics, productivity and growth, and structural change - is committed to providing intensive and individual support to talented young researchers who come to us from all over the world.

The further development of high-quality graduate programmes, the provision of generous research support for the presentation of research results, comprehensive data and IT resources as well as an active research series and various conferences with top international scientists are just some of the steps we are taking in this direction. However, the most important element of our IWH-DPE endeavours remains the same: talented people like our two recent graduates.

So let them tell you a little more about their market, their research and their plans below.

Ciao, Eleonora and Tommaso, all the best for your next steps, we will miss you!
 

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Eleonora Sfrappini

"I will be starting as a Lecturer in Finance at the Business School at the University of St Andrews in mid-August. There I will continue to work on the subjects that are close to my heart: Banking, Climate Finance and Financial Regulation.

My work covers two broad areas. The first is centred on climate change risk and lending. I explore this topic from two angles, examining how banks take into account the transition risks of their borrowers and how borrowers exposed to transition risks adjust to changes in access to finance.

The second topic concerns financial regulation and the impact it can have on banks' funding costs and lending decisions. Beyond research, I will be involved in teaching on finance-related topics at graduate and undergraduate levels.

I am excited to begin this next chapter and am grateful to IWH and the DPE programme for providing a nurturing and supportive environment in which I have been able to develop my research skills and flourish.

Looking back on my time at IWH and the DPE, I believe that one of the key strengths of our PhD programme is the high ratio of experienced researchers to PhD students. This means that we have excellent access to experienced mentors to advise and support us in our research, and that the advice can be very personalised.

The programme also provides significant financial and personal support for attending conferences, summer schools and visiting fellowships. In addition, the extensive network of researchers available to us is a valuable resource for our professional development.

One particular aspect may also be important for some prospective doctoral students. I joined the programme in October 2019 as a mother of a young son and was worried about how to balance my academic and family commitments. However, the programme was very flexible and supportive and allowed me to complete my PhD without compromising my family needs. This supportive environment was crucial to my success on the programme."
 

Tommaso Bighelli

"I will be working in the Bank of England's Macro-Financial Risk Division as a research economist, where I will continue to pursue my research agenda on firm dynamics, factor reallocation and productivity. I will also contribute to the policy activities of the department, particularly on issues affecting the corporate sector.

At IWH, I have found a supportive and stimulating environment. From day one, I have been involved in research activities with top academics and have benefited from the Institute's international connections.

The support from my supervisors and colleagues has helped me to become the researcher I am today. I use micro data, primarily administrative data at the firm level, to investigate macroeconomic issues related to firms. During my time at IWH, together with my colleagues, we have invested in access to new granular data and developed innovative datasets that we have made available to the academic and policy community.

I believe that this expertise in microdata is one of IWH's greatest strengths. It has been a privilege as a member of the Structural Change and Productivity Department and the CompNet team since October 2019 to make even a small contribution to the significant achievements that the Institute has made over the last five years.’

One of the greatest strengths of the doctoral programme at IWH is the close supervisory relationship between experienced researchers and doctoral students, which provides excellent access to mentors and tailored research guidance.

The programme also provides significant financial and personal support for participation in conferences, summer schools and research visits. The extensive network of researchers is a valuable resource for professional development.

Read more: Applying for the IWH DPE programme