What did you do before you joined the IIIEE?
Prior to joining IIIEE, I was a researcher at the Environment for Development (EfD) global hub at the University of Gothenburg (GU). I received my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Gothenburg.
Can you tell us about your area of research and how you became passionate about this area?
Most of my research and expertise are in the area of natural resource and environmental economics. Among my interests in this domain are international climate policy and natural resource management.
At the start of my undergraduate studies, one of the courses available was environmental economics. One of my friends completed the course and suggested it to me as a potential future course to consider. When I took environmental economics as an optional course, I realized I liked it very much, since it dealt with issues such as pollution, climate change, and valuation of non-market goods such as wildlife, recreational sites, etc. At the time, these topics were already prominent in policy discussions within developing countries as well as globally. A year later, I opted to take up natural resource economics as a follow up course.
Were you familiar with the IIIEE before joining us and what was your main motivation to apply for this position?
Before joining IIIEE, I had some familiarity with its interdisciplinary environment through my interactions with colleagues at Gothenburg University, who had been to Lund University. My interest was piqued when a position became available at IIIEE. Since then, I have learned a lot more about the kind of research that is done at IIIEE. The position at IIIEE was of particular interest to me since interdisciplinary approaches are increasingly required to address some of the most pressing societal challenges such as climate change. The interdisciplinary research environment at IIIEE allows one to appreciate and to learn from work being done in disciplines beyond one’s own. I look very much forward to working with you and will be glad to assist in any research projects requiring economics, statistics or econometric methods.
What inspires you?
Several innovative financial products and performance ratings have been created recently to assist investors interested in decarbonization. Green bonds, decarbonized indexes, Environmental, Social, and Governance ratings, etc. are examples. However, it is not clear whether these products lead to significant decarbonization. More research is needed in this area. The fact that there is still so much to learn and the desire to understand the impact of these different initiatives motivate me to get up every day.
What do you love most about your work?
I love research because it allows me to learn so much each time when trying to answer challenging research questions. This part of my job appeals to my natural curiosity.