Graduate Center of DIW Berlin

Students

2011

Sarah Dahmann Sarah Dahmann Before joining the Graduate Center in October 2011, Sarah Dahmann studied Econometrics and Operations Research in Maastricht (the Netherlands) and Singapore. She obtained her master's degree with a specialization in Econometrics in 2011 from Maastricht University. In her master thesis she examined unemployment persistence in Germany, with a particular focus on the role of unobserved heterogeneity in the context of state and duration dependence. During her studies she interned at an energy trading company and conducted a research project on international trade at ING in Singapore.
    Patricia Gallego Granados Patricia Gallego Granados Patricia joined the Graduate Center in October 2011. She holds a degree in economics from Universität Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. In her Master Thesis, she analyzed the changes in the tax benefit systems of EU countries resulting from the recent economic and financial crisis. During her studies, she has interned in the European Institute of Public Administration and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
      Verena Grass Verena Grass Verena Grass joined the Graduate Center in October 2011. Having studied economical mathematics in Berlin and Århus and Political Science in Hagen, she holds a degree (Diplom-Wirtschaftsmathematikerin) from the Technical University Berlin and a certificate in Peace and Conflict studies. Before joining the DIW she gained working experience both in the private and public sectors, she was working at the consulting company PwC in Risk management, Financial Services and Public sector consulting and completed an internship at the German Bundestag. Throughout her studies Verena focused on modelling with differential equations and developed a keen interest in the link between financial markets and the macroeconomics.
        Adrian Hille Adrian Hille Before joining the Graduate Center, Adrian obtained his Master's degree in "Economics and Public Policy" from Sciences Po Paris, the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique. In 2009, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from Sciences Po Paris, after having studied at Science Po's French-German undergraduate campus in Nancy as well as at McGill University Montreal. Adrian developed his interest in empirical research in 2010, when he analyzed the impact of participating at "Orchetre à l'Ecole", a project allowing 11-13-year old students from disadvantaged social backgrounds in France to learn an instrument and play in an orchestra for three years. In his master thesis, Adrian examined the gender gap in mathematics in French primary school.
          Daniel Huppmann Daniel Huppmann Daniel studied Mathematics at the Vienna University of Technology. Since 2008 he worked as a research assistant at DIW Berlin, focusing on fossil resource markets and energy modelling. His diploma thesis investigated strategic investment incentives in crude oil production capacity of Saudi Arabia and Russia under economic uncertainty and political risk of climate change mitigation policies. His professional experience includes internships in Washington, D.C., Paris, and Central Asia.
            Christian Krekel Christian Krekel Before he joined the Graduate Center in 2011, Christian obtained a Master´s degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Master´s degree in Economics from Trinity College Dublin (TCD). In his dissertations, he analysed the determinants and impacts of naturalisation in various national contexts, both historically and contemporaneously. Christian completed internships at the German Foreign Office and the German Ministry of Finance, respectively in the departments responsible for the European Monetary Union, as well as various internships in private sector consulting.

            His current research interests are in the area of labour economics in general and immigration, integration, and education in particular, both theoretically and empirically. Most recently, he has also become interested in reported subjective well-being.
              Friederike Lenel Friederike Lenel Friederike holds a degree in Economics from the University of Freiburg and an MBA from the Neeley School of Business, Texas. Before joining the Graduate Center in 2011, she worked with PlaNet Finance, an NGO advising microfinance institutions. In her diploma thesis, she empirically examined risk management mechanisms adopted during the economic crisis in Indonesia and the role of access to credit. At the University of Freiburg Friederike worked as student research assistant and as teaching assistant for the Department of Applied Econometrics. She interned at the KfW Development Bank and worked on different consulting projects in the U.S. and in Germany. Her current research interest lies in development economics, in particular individual behavior under economic uncertainty.
                Michael Neumann Michael Neumann Before he joined the Graduate Center in 2011, Michael worked as a research associate at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW) in Tübingen in a project evaluating the introduction of sectoral minimum wages in Germany. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Tübingen and spent an academic year at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. During his studies, Michael focused on quantitative methods of economic science and interned at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. In his diploma thesis he empirically analyzed the impact of different strategies of public placement officers on the allocation of active labor market programs. He is amongst others interested in empirically analyzing social policy and labor market issues.
                  Maximilian Podstawski Maximilian Podstawski He joined the Graduate Center in October 2011. Max holds advanced degrees from the University of Potsdam (Diplom Volkswirt) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Master of Arts Economics), where he concentrated on macroeconomics and econometrics. In his diploma thesis he analyzed root causes of the diverging current accounts in the euro area. During his studies Max gained professional experience working within a research group of Daimler AG, the department of macro analysis and forecasting of DIW Berlin, the German Federal Ministry of Finance, the German Bundestag and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Phnom Penh.
                    Philipp Moritz Richter Philipp Moritz Richter Before he joined the Graduate Center in 2011, Philipp studied International Economics in Tübingen and Lyon as well as Environmental Economics at the University of Hohenheim. He holds an advanced degree in economics (Diplom-Volkswirt). In his diploma thesis, Philipp analyzed the effect of trade liberalization on environmental quality in the context of recent trade modeling with heterogeneous firms. His current research interest lies in the field of trade and environment, climate change and environmental policies.
                      Stefan Seifert Stefan Seifert Stefan Seifert joined the Graduate Center in October 2011. He studies Economics in Dresden and Rennes and obtained an advanced degree in economics (Dipl.-Volkswirt) in 2010 from TU Dresden. During his studies he focused on public finance, public sector management and efficiency analysis. In his diploma thesis he analysed determinants of spending efficiency of French local governments. Furthermore, he gained experience as student research assistant at the Institute of Public Finance, the Chair of Energy Economics and Public Sector Management and at DIW Berlin.
                        Andreas Thiemann Andreas Thiemann Before he joined the Graduate Center in 2011, Andreas obtained a Master’s degree in International Economics and Economic Policy from the Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main. In his Master thesis he analyzed the causal effect of the German parental leave reform 2007 on the labor supply of fathers. Previously he worked at the DIW Berlin as a student assistant.
                          Christian Zankiewicz Christian Zankiewicz He joined the Graduate Center in October 2011. During his studies, Christian attended the Free University Berlin, Saint Mary’s University (Canada), and Humboldt University. He holds two advanced degrees, a Diploma in Economics from the Free University Berlin and a Master’s degree in Statistics awarded from Humboldt University.
                          In his diploma thesis, he developed an econometric multilevel model that explains the simultaneous impact of micro and macroeconomic factors on the risk of criminal victimization in various European countries. His master’s thesis addressed the statistical problems of measuring attitudes towards corruption by means of a Bayesian approach to item response modeling.
                          Along with his studies, Christian worked as a research assistant at the Free University Berlin, and gained professional experience at the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.
                            Alexander Zerrahn Alexander Zerrahn Alexander joined the Graduate Center in 2011 after having obtained a degree in economics (Diplom-Volkswirt) from the University of Tübingen. During his studies, he developed a strong interest in applied microeconomics, with a particular focus on energy and the environment. Alexander spent one academic year at the University of Copenhagen where he acquainted himself with employing experimental techniques in economics. In his diploma thesis, he analysed the competition on the wholesale electricity market. He interned in the energy sector and worked as a teaching assistant throughout his studies.

                              2010

                              Alexandra Avdeenko Alexandra Avdeenko

                              She joined the Graduate Center in September 2010. Alexandra was born in Riga, Latvia.

                              She has got a Master degree in International Political Economy from University of Warwick from 2008 to 2009. She studied political science (major) and economics (minor) at University of Mannheim from 2005 to 2008.

                              Alexandra has working experience at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, the German Council on Foreign Relations, the German Institute for Economic Research and the World Bank.

                                Veronika Hümmer Veronika Hümmer

                                Having studied International Economics with Chinese Studies at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen and the University of Sydney, Veronika holds an advanced degree in Economics (Diplom-Volkswirtin). During her studies, she focused on International Economics and Econometrics and gained professional experience among others at the German Embassy in Beijing and with GIZ in Tianjin, China. Before joining the Graduate Center in September 2010, Veronika worked with the World Bank conducting Poverty and Social Impact Analysis. During the Graduate Center she worked with Transparency International, Berlin and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington DC.



                                Fields of interest: Development Economics, Climate Change Adaption, Migration

                                  Marlene Karl Marlene Karl She joined the Graduate Center in September 2010. Marlene studied International Economics in Tübingen and Poitiers. In 2010, she obtained an advanced degree in economics (Diplom-Volkswirtin) from the University Tübingen. In her diploma thesis, Marlene analyzed the influence of monetary policy on bank risk taking in the US banking system. During her studies, she interned at the Deutsche Börse and in the banking supervision department of Deutsche Bundesbank.

                                  Fields of Interest: International financial stability, banking risk
                                    Holger Lüthen Holger Lüthen

                                    He joined the Graduate Center in September 2010 and studied in Berlin and Limerick. He obtained a diploma in economics in 2010 from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. He wrote his thesis about income inequality over the life cycle.

                                    Fields of interest: Income inequality, public economics, applied econometrics.

                                      Kathleen Ngangoué Kathleen Ngangoué She was born in Brazzaville, Congo. Kathleen holds a degree in Economics (Diplom-Volkswirtin) from the Technical University Berlin Her diploma thesis was titled: “The Impact of House Price Uncertainty on the Real Estate Market: Empirical Evidence of Real Options in Berlin.” Before joining the Graduate Center, she gained teaching experience both in the private and public sectors, and participated in the projects “Innovation Indicator Germany 2008” and “Innovation Indicator Germany 2009”, DIW Berlin. During the Graduate Center she worked for the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin and for the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

                                      Fields of interest: behavioral economics, econometrics, real estate markets
                                        Marco Springmann
                                        He joined the Graduate Center in September 2010. Marco holds a Master's degree in Physics from Stony Brook University (USA) and another one in Ecological Economics from the University of Leeds (UK). In his first Master's thesis, he analyzed the effect that aerosols, in particular soot particles, have on urban air pollution. His second Master's thesis addressed the environmental and economic problems associated with long-term discounting in policy and project appraisals. He completed internships at the German Ministry for the Environment in Berlin and at Resources for the Future in Washington DC.

                                        Research interests: environmental and ecological economics, climate policy, sustainable development, intra- and intergenerational equity
                                          Doreen Triebe Doreen Triebe She joined the graduate Center in September 2010. Doreen holds advanced degrees from the University of Potsdam (Diplom Volkswirtin) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Master of Arts Economics). In her diploma thesis she analysed the innovation ability of the German Federal States.

                                          Fields of interest: Innovation Economics, International Economics and Applied Econometrics

                                            2009

                                            Julian Baumann Julian Baumann

                                            Julian joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. He studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe (TH). Apart from his work as a teaching and research assistant, Julian gained work experience both in the private and public sector (among others ECLAC United Nations, Fraunhofer ISI, German Technical Cooperation, Max Planck Institut for Human Development).

                                              Elisabeth Bügelmayer Elisabeth Bügelmayer

                                              She joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. She studied Economics in Vienna, Paris and Berlin and obtained her master´s degree in 2009. In her master thesis she analyzed the impact of mother´s personality and non-cognitive skills in the child´s skill formation process. From 2007 to 2009 she worked as a research assistant at the SOEP group.

                                              Fields of interest: applied panel analyses and interdisciplinary research combining economics, psychology and the neurosciences.

                                                Damir Esenaliev Damir Esenaliev

                                                He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. He graduated in 2003 with Master of Arts in Development Economics from the Williams College (USA). His professional experience includes Economist position at the World Bank office in the Kyrgyz Republic, where he dealt with macroeconomic and poverty analysis, and various positions at the Economic Department of the National (Central) Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.

                                                Fields of Interest: Development economics, Poverty, Inequality, Intergenerational Mobility.

                                                  Christoph Große Steffen Christoph Große Steffen

                                                  He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. He holds advanced degrees from the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster (Diplom-Volkswirt) and Panthéon-Assas Paris II University (Maîtres de Sciences Economiques). Christoph majored in international economics and international management and gained working experience in the global trade finance sector (KfW IPEX-Bank and German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, department “Export Finance and Insurance”). In his diploma thesis he conducted a case-based analysis of local currency loans in international project financings. During the Graduate Center program, he worked for the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin and the International Monetary Fund.

                                                  Fields of interest: international macroeconomics

                                                    Clemens Haftendorn Clemens Haftendorn

                                                    He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. Clemens graduated from the Technical University of Berlin where he studied management sciences with a focus on energy economics. He has been working as a research assistant at DIW Berlin since 2007. In his previous research as well as in his diploma thesis, Clemens has focused on modeling energy and resources markets, especially the international coal market using partial equilibrium modeling techniques.

                                                    Field of interest: energy and resources economics, international energy and resources markets, applied numerical economic modeling.

                                                      Sindu Workneh Kebede Sindu Workneh Kebede She joined the Graduate Center in September, 2009. Sindu worked for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Addis Ababa for four years and half as a research assistant. She holds Masters Degree in Economic Policy Analysis from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. In her Master’s Thesis, Sindu analyzed the link between soil conservation and poverty in rural households of Ethiopia.

                                                      Fields of interest: Development economics, Poverty Analysis.
                                                        Daniel Kemptner Daniel Kemptner

                                                        He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009 after having studied economics at the University of Mannheim and at the University of Toronto. In 2009, he graduated from the University of Mannheim as Diplom-Volkswirt. In his diploma thesis, he investigated the causal relationship between education and health by considering a natural experiment in West Germany using Microcensus data. During his studies, he worked at MEA (Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging) as a research assistant.

                                                        Fields of interest: Applied Econometrics, Empirical Health and Labor Economics

                                                          Antje Kröger Antje Kröger

                                                          She joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. She holds advanced degrees from the Eberhard-Karls-University Tuebingen (Diplom Volkswirtin and Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies). During her studies she focused on International Economics and Microeconomic Theory and interned among others at Daimler Finance in Tokyo and the German Consulate in Osaka. Her diploma thesis was entitled “Stochastical Innovation Processes and Technological Change of Foreign Trade”. During the Graduate Center program she worked for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin and the World Bank.

                                                          Fields of interest: International Economics, Industrial Economics

                                                            Jan Marcus Jan Marcus

                                                            He studied in Konstanz and Istanbul and received degrees in Political and Administrative Science (Bachelor) as well as Economics (Master). In his Bachelor Thesis he analysed the effect of survey methods on the Postmaterialism Index, while his Master Thesis investigated the relationship between income and longevity for women by means of parametric and non-parametric analysis tools. In his PhD thesis Jan Marcus focuses on social and economic determinants of health and health behaviour. He receives a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation (“Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes”) and was awarded the ALLBUS Young Scholar Award in 2010.

                                                              Florian Mölders Florian Mölders

                                                              He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. Florian studied Economics at the University of Bonn and the University of Florida (USA) from 2002 to 2008. He joined the Department of Innovation, Manufacturing and Service at DIW Berlin in September 2010.

                                                              Fields of Interest: international trade, foreign direct investment and economic development.

                                                                Sören Radde Sören Radde

                                                                He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. After undergraduate studies in Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bayreuth and University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, he received graduate training in Economics at the University of Cambridge (MPhil in Economics). Throughout his studies Sören focused on macroeconomic modeling and developed a keen interest in the link between financial markets and the macroeconomy. His master thesis dealt with the long-term impact of ownership structures in the banking sector on economic development. Sören gained work experience both in the private (RWE Power AG, McKinsey & Company) and public sector (European Commission, DG ECFIN; German Bundestag; IMF).

                                                                Fields of interest: Macroeconomics, Financial Markets, Development Economics

                                                                  Nils Saniter Nils Saniter

                                                                  Before he joined the Graduate Center in 2009, Nils worked as a research assistant at the University of Marburg in the ECAR project, establishing a new Master’s Programme in Economics jointly with the University of Damascus, Syria. He holds a degree in Economics and Peace and Conflict Studies. He spent an academic year at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. His diploma thesis was titled „Does International Trade Push Wage Dispersion? An Empirical Assessment of the Neoclassical Theory of Trade in the Light of Recent Trends in the German Labour Market“. His current research interest lies in the field of empirical social science, particularly migration, education, and labour market issues.

                                                                    Tobias Schmidt Tobias Schmidt He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. Tobias studied Infonomics and Economic and Financial Research at Maastricht University (the Netherlands) and at UCLA. For several years he worked as a teaching and research assistant and has interned at the ZEW, the German Council of Economic Experts and the German Bundestag.

                                                                    Fields of Interest: choice theory, applied microeconomics and behavioral economics.
                                                                      Anne Schopp Anne Schopp Before joining the Graduate Center in September 2009, Anne studied International Economics at Tübingen and Hyderabad University. In cooperation with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research she examined in her diploma thesis the interdependencies between economic growth, energy and carbon emissions in India using a cointegrated vector autoregressive model.

                                                                      Fields of interest: Climate and energy economics, microeconomics, econometrics
                                                                        Andreas Schröder Andreas Schröder

                                                                        Andreas joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. He graduated with a Master degree in Economics from Free University of Amsterdam and holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and Geography. His Master thesis dealt with the inclusion of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading System. Besides, he has conducted further research on environmental affairs, the transport sector and innovation. Upon graduation in 2008, Andreas gained work experience at the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Commission.

                                                                          Johanna Storck Johanna Storck She became a member the Graduate Center of DIW Berlin in September 2009. She holds advanced degrees from the University of Potsdam (Diplom Volkswirtin) and the University of Wisconsin (Master of Arts). In her diploma thesis, she analyzed the effect of university tuition fees on student mobility. During her masters program Johanna focused on econometrics and labor economics. Before joining the Graduate Center, Johanna interned at the Unesco statistical office in Bangkok. During the Graduate Center program she worked for the Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin and the Urban Institute in Washington.

                                                                          Fields of interest: education economics, labor economics, microeconometrics
                                                                            Paul Viefers Paul Viefers He joined the Graduate Center in 2009. He holds a higher degree from the University of Bonn (Dipl.-Volksw.). During his graduate studies he focused on Quantitative Methods (Econometrics & Statistics). He spent a year abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he majored in Economics and Statistics. The title of his diploma thesis was "On liquidity interactions during the 2007/2008 Global Financial Crisis - evidence from Multivariate GARCH models" (Advisor: JProf. Dr. Pigorsch).

                                                                            Research interests: Economics
                                                                              Lilo Wagner Lilo Wagner She joined the Graduate Center in September 2009. She studied Economics and Business in Paris, London and Berlin. In her master thesis, she analyzed the impact of the tariff structure on the market participants’ pricing and quantity setting behaviour in the German press distribution system.

                                                                              Fields of Interests: industrial organization, competition policy and microeconomics.
                                                                                Juliana Werneburg Juliana Werneburg She joined the graduate school in September 2009. She started her studies in sociology at Bamberg’s Otto Friedrich University. There, she worked as a student assistant at the global life project co-oridnated by Prof. Blossfeld. After a summer internship at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin, she joined the University of Bielefeld where she commenced her studies, was involved in several research projects and worked for a polling institute. In her diploma thesis she analyzed the division of labor within couples, using SOEP data. The BEATA project co-ordinated by Prof. Diewald and funded by the German Research Foundation enabled her to gain new data, which will complement the data base of her PhD thesis on the effects of employment relationships on couples.
                                                                                  Michael Zschille Michael Zschille

                                                                                  He joined the Graduate Center in September 2009 and holds an advanced degree from Dresden University of Technology (Diplom Kaufmann). During his studies he focused on efficiency analysis and regulation management as well as energy and environmental economics. He interned at the Hessian Ministry for Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development. During the Graduate Center program he worked for the Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin. Currently, he focuses on the empirical analysis of network industries.

                                                                                  Fields of interest: efficiency analysis, regulation management, industrial organization, economic policy.

                                                                                    2008

                                                                                    Franziska Bremus Franziska Bremus She joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She received a master’s degree from the University of Québec at Montréal in 2006 and graduated from the University of Tübingen as Diplom-Volkswirtin in 2008. In her diploma thesis, she analyzed the implications of trade and offshoring for the comovement of international business cycles using a general equilibrium model. Before joining the Graduate Center, she interned at the research division of the Deutsche Bundesbank, where she worked on extending the Bundesbank DSGE-model.

                                                                                    Fields of interest: international macroeconomics, trade, applied econometrics. 
                                                                                      Angela Fiedler
                                                                                      Angela Fiedler joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She studied economics at the Humboldt University, Berlin, with a focus on econometrics and dynamic macro models. Her studies also included one semester at Stockholm University, Sweden. During the first year of the GC she interned with the German Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin and the World Bank in Washington, D.C.. Her diploma thesis dealt with macroeconomic consequences of basic income in a general equilibrium model framework.

                                                                                      Fields of interest: macroeconomics, social policy, labor markets, dynamic models.
                                                                                        Felix Groba Felix Groba He joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. He studied in Dresden, St.Petersburg and New York and holds a Bachelor in International Relations. He obtained his Master of Public Policy in 2008 from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. Felix wrote his thesis for the German Federal Ministry of Environment focusing on the added value and potential design of a new international body for the promotion of renewable energies.

                                                                                        Field of interest: environmental and resource economics and policy, renewable energies, international trade.
                                                                                          Hendrik Hagedorn Hendrik Hagedorn He joined the Graduate Center in 2008. He studied physics in Munich and Montpellier and economics in Maastricht (Diplom-Physiker und Master of Economic and Financial Research (MPhil)). Hendrik majored in the economics of growth and technical change. His master thesis dealt with the effect of regulation on entrepreneurship.

                                                                                          Fields of interest: Financial and international economics.
                                                                                            Andreas Harasser Andreas Harasser He joined the Graduatecenter in September 2008. He holds one diploma in Economics as well as one in International Economics and Management Sciences both from the University of Innsbruck. In his diploma thesis he dealt with a reputation problem in a market for credence goods.

                                                                                            Fields of interest: game theory and microtheory.
                                                                                              Tony Muhumuza Tony Muhumuza

                                                                                              He joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. He graduated in 2007 with Master of Arts (Economics) from the University of Nairobi. His Masters thesis analysed the spatial determinants of poverty in rural Uganda. Before joining the Graduate Center, he worked as Assistant Consultant in the Business Advisory Services Department of Ernst & Young (Uganda), and engaged in poverty mapping assignments in Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

                                                                                              His PhD thesis focuses on postwar household livelihoods and child labour in Uganda

                                                                                              Fields of Interest: Development Economics, Poverty Analysis , Economics of Conflict.

                                                                                                Maria Nieswand Maria Nieswand She joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She studied Business Administration with majors in Energy Economics, Allocation Theory and Public Sector Management at Dresden University of Technology. Her diploma thesis investigated cost efficiency in the German sector of public bus transportation.

                                                                                                Fields of interest: efficiency and productivity analysis, micro-econometric analysis of network industries.
                                                                                                  Beatrice Pagel
                                                                                                  She joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She received her Bachelor degree in European Studies and Master in International Economic Studies from Maastricht University. In her thesis she analyzed the impact of auction formats on bidding behaviour and entrant survival in public procurement auctions. During the Graduate Center programme, she worked as an intern at the competition department of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC.

                                                                                                  Fields of interest: microeconomics, industrial organization, competition policy.
                                                                                                    Katharina Pijnenburg Katharina Pijnenburg She joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She holds advanced degrees from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt (Diplom Volkswirtin) and the University Paris Dauphine (Maîtrise d’Economie Appliquée). During her studies she focused on monetary policy and econometric methods and interned among others at the Research Center of the Deutsche Bundesbank. Her diploma thesis was titled “The Influence of Globalization on Inflation – A Factor- Augmented Phillips Curve Approach”. During the Graduate Center program she worked for the Ministry of Finance in Berlin and the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

                                                                                                    Fields of interest: econometrics, economic policy, monetary policy.
                                                                                                      Nina Wald Nina Wald She joined the Graduate Center in September 2008. She received her Diploma in International Economics at Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen in 2008. She spent one year as an exchange student at the Ponitificia Universidad Católica in Santiago de Chile. During her studies she focused on international economics, econometrics and politics of Latin America. In her diploma thesis "Home Country Effects of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from OECD Countries" she analyzed the impact of increased outward FDI on the home country´s capital stock for a panel of 13 OECD countries.

                                                                                                      Fields of interest: Development economics, economics of conflict, international economics.
                                                                                                        Michael Weinhardt Michael Weinhardt

                                                                                                        He studied Sociology in Hamburg (HWP) and London (LSE). He also worked for the longitudinal studies group at the National Centre for Social Research (London) before he became a graduate student at DIW in September 2008. In his Master thesis he investigated the link between social class and the onset of mental illness using longitudinal data on the British population.

                                                                                                        Fields of interest: cultural sociology, youth sociology, sociology of the life course and panel data analysis.

                                                                                                          Aleksandar Zaklan Aleksandar Zaklan

                                                                                                          He joined the Graduate Center in 2008. He studied economics and international relations in Bochum, Dublin, Bologna and Washington, DC and holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin, Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University. Aleksandar has gained work experience in a range of organizations, among which are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the German Federal Ministry of Finance.

                                                                                                          Fields of interest: energy and resource economics, international finance and economics, applied econometrics.

                                                                                                            2007

                                                                                                            Dr. Nataliya Barasinska
                                                                                                            She joined the Graduate Center in September 2007. She received her master degree in Management Science at the National Technical University of Ukraine in 2005 in Kiev. Since 2005 she has been a research assistant at the DIW Research Group "Financial Markets and Institutions". In 2007 she graduated from the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). In her master thesis she conducted a regression analysis of the determinants of financial porfolio diversification by German households.

                                                                                                            Fields of interest: household finances, microeconometrics and time series analysis.
                                                                                                              Ludwig Ensthaler
                                                                                                              He joined the Graduate Center in September 2007. Ludwig holds advanced degrees in mathematics form the University of Kaiserslautern and the University of Cambridge. Since November 2004, Ludwig has been a scholar of the Studienstiftung, the German National Academic Foundation. He interned with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin and the Centre For Economic And Policy Research in Washington DC.

                                                                                                              Fields of interest: mechanism design, experimental economics, behavioural economics and decision theory.
                                                                                                                Olga Nottmeyer
                                                                                                                She is a Ph.D. student at the Graduate Center of the DIW Berlin since September 2007. She holds a Bachelor in Mathematics and a master in Economics both from the Free University Berlin. Her bachelor thesis is entitled "music of markow chains" and analyzes the behaviour of markow chains invented by the Berlin composer Orm Finnendahl. In her diploma thesis she evaluated economic determinants on the decision for interethnic marriages of male migrants in Germany using data from the German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP) of the DIW and micro econometric methods.

                                                                                                                Fields of interest: migration, econometrics, labor economics.
                                                                                                                  Frauke Peter Frauke Peter She is of German and Dutch origin and joined the Graduate Center in September 2007. She studied Economics in Paris and London. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in International Economics at the American University of Paris in 2005 and then moved to London to pursue a Master’s in Economics at Royal Holloway University of London. During her Master’s program she focused on Econometrics, Public Economics and Political Economy. She was awarded her degree “Master of Science in Economics” in November 2006. She analyzed the impact of the Eastern European Enlargement on Germany examining welfare effects and labor migration during her Bachelor program. In her Master’s thesis she evaluated Poverty in Germany considering how households with children are affected.

                                                                                                                  Fields of interests: labor economics, welfare economics and econometrics.
                                                                                                                    Pia Rattenhuber Pia Rattenhuber She became a member the Graduate Center of DIW Berlin in September 2007. She completed her degree as Diplom-Volkswirt in International Economics at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in 2006 and had spent a year at Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, México. In her studies she focused on the economics and politics of Latin America and monetary policy in transition countries, also as an intern with the European Central Bank. In her diploma thesis she evaluated a model of trade with heterogeneous firms and comparative advantage. Before joining the DIW Graduate center she graduated in 2007 with a Masters in Economics from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, where she focused on econometrics, migration and labor markets.

                                                                                                                    Fields of interest: economic policy, econometrics, international economics.
                                                                                                                      Geza Sapi

                                                                                                                      Geza Sapi is a PhD Student in the DIW Berlin Graduate Center since September 2007. He received his Diploma in Economics at Viadrina University in Frankfurt(Oder) in 2006. After his graduation he joined the Hungarian Competition Authority as a competition analyst. From October 2010 till January 2011 he interned in the Chief Economist Team in DG Competition of the European Commission. In 2009 Geza spent three months as visiting fellow at Toulouse School of Economics.

                                                                                                                        Dr. Wolf-Peter SchillDr. Wolf-Peter Schill
                                                                                                                        • 2000-2007: Studies of Environmental Technology, TU Berlin and Macquarie University Sydney
                                                                                                                        • July 2007: Engineer (Dipl.-Ing.) Environmental Technology, Erwin-Stephan-Award
                                                                                                                        • 2007-2011: DIW Berlin Graduate Center
                                                                                                                        • July 2011: Dissertation at TU Berlin (Dr. oec.)
                                                                                                                        • Since September 2008: Department of Energy, Transportation, Environment
                                                                                                                          Isabel Teichmann Isabel Teichmann

                                                                                                                          She joined the Graduate Center in September 2007. She studied Economics at the Humboldt University of Berlin from October 2002 until July 2007, including an exchange semester at the Stockholm University. In her diploma thesis, she analyzed the impact of Mercosur on its member countries. The study was based on the gravity model of international trade.

                                                                                                                          Fields of interest: development economics, trade, poverty, regional integration, empirical methods.

                                                                                                                            2006

                                                                                                                            Dr. Eva M. Berger

                                                                                                                            Eva M. Berger received her Master in Economics at the University of Passau in 2006. In February 2011, she completed her PhD in Economics at the Free University of Berlin and at the Graduate Center of DIW Berlin. She spent research and study periods at Université de Toulouse 1, France, at the World Bank, Washington, DC, and at the University of Essex.

                                                                                                                              Dr. Frauke G. Braun

                                                                                                                              She has joined the DIW Graduate Center in September 2006. During the Graduate Center she worked as an intern with the Worldbank and the BDI, Berlin. Previously, she studied economics at the University of Tübingen and at the University of Lund, Sweden.

                                                                                                                              She was a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge, Electricity Policy Research Group (EPRG) from December 2009 to February 2010.

                                                                                                                              She has presented her work at various international conferences, among them the EEA, IAEE European Conference and WCERE/EAERE.

                                                                                                                              Fields of interest: green innovation / industrial economics, and empirical methods.

                                                                                                                                Dr. Astrid CullmannDr. Astrid Cullmann
                                                                                                                                • Since 2009 senior researcher in the Dept. Innovation, Industry and Services
                                                                                                                                • 2009 Dr. rer. oec., Technische Universität Berlin (summa cum laude)
                                                                                                                                • 2006 Doctoral Student (Graduate Center, DIW Berlin)
                                                                                                                                • 2006 Dipl.–Volkswirtin, Freie Universität Berlin
                                                                                                                                • 2003/2004 Graduate Studies of Economics at University Carlos III in Madrid, Spain
                                                                                                                                  Burcu Erdogan
                                                                                                                                  She is a Ph.D. student at the DIW Berlin Graduate Center. She received her degree in Master of Science Program in Economics and Management Science in Humboldt University of Berlin in April 2006. She graduated from the Industrial Engineering department of Middle East Technical University in June 2003 and attended in the Psychology minor program in Middle East Technical University. She worked as a Student Research Assistant at the Institute of Economic Policy II from April 2004 until April 2006. Her master thesis was titeled “How different are Constant Interest Rate Inflation Forecasts from Variable Interest Rate Inflation Forecasts?”

                                                                                                                                  Fields of interest: macroeconomics, econometrics, banking and finance.
                                                                                                                                    Johannes Geyer Johannes Geyer

                                                                                                                                    He is Ph.D. student at the DIW Berlin Graduate Center since September 2006. Previously he worked at the DIW Berlin as a research assistant at the department of public economics. He received his degree Diplom-Volkswirt from Free University (FU) Berlin in April 2006.

                                                                                                                                    Fields of interest: social policy, microeconometrics and microsimulation.

                                                                                                                                      Daniela Glocker

                                                                                                                                      Studies in Economics at Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University Frankfurt and Free University Berlin (Degree: Diplom Volkswirt). Since September 2006 member of the Graduate Center of Economic and Social Research DIW Berlin and since September 2007 reseacher at the DIW Berlin.
                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                        Sven Heitzler
                                                                                                                                        He is Ph.D. student at the DIW Berlin Graduate Center. Previously he worked at the DIW Berlin as a research associate at the department Information Society and Competition. He received his degree Diplom-Volkswirt from the Technical University (TU) Berlin by December 2005. Before joining the DIW Berlin he taught at the TU Berlin at the faculty for computer sciences and worked as a freelancer in IT consulting and services.

                                                                                                                                        Fields of interest: competition policy, network, ICT and regulatory economics, and ICT security.
                                                                                                                                          Cathérine Müller
                                                                                                                                          She joined the Graduate Center in September 2006. She studied economics at the Technische Universität Berlin. In her diploma thesis “Trading news and information” she analyzed a news market model and the relationship between politicians and journalists.

                                                                                                                                          Fields of interest: economics of conflict, collective action.
                                                                                                                                            Dr. Marc VothknechtDr. Marc Vothknecht
                                                                                                                                              Dr. Nicolas R. Ziebarth

                                                                                                                                              Nicolas R. Ziebarth is a research associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) in the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) department. He earned his PhD in economics from the Berlin University of Technology (TU Berlin) in February 2011. His thesis is titled "Sickness Absence and Economic Incentives."

                                                                                                                                              In August 2011, Nicolas Ziebarth will start as an Assistant Professor in Health Economics and Policy in the Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) department at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

                                                                                                                                              Nicolas R. Ziebarth's main research fields are applied empirical health and labor economics, with a particular focus on the interaction of social insurance systems with labor markets and population health. Another focus of his work is the driving forces and implications of health-related behavior. His work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Public Economics, Social Science & Medicine, and The Economic Journal.

                                                                                                                                                Johannes Ziemendorff