SBS Blog > One PhD: many opportunities by Sharada Davidson

One PhD: many opportunities

By Sharada Davidson - Posted on 3 September 2020

For Sharada Davidson, doing her Economics PhD at Strathclyde led to many different opportunities, including travel, employment and teaching...

I returned to Strathclyde in 2016 to undertake an ESRC funded PhD in Economics under Gary Koop, having obtained an MSc in Economics (Econometrics stream) with Distinction from Edinburgh University. My PhD sought to consider the often politicised policy challenges associated with globalisation by developing and applying Bayesian econometric methods.

During the PhD, my department and PGR directors, Alex Dickson and Julia Darby, supported me in pursuing many opportunities. I was encouraged to attend specialist and generalist conferences in the UK and Europe to present my work. I was also given advice on how to publish my work, leading to a sole-authored publication. My supervisor also collaborated with me on my final thesis chapter, allowing me to gain experience of co-authoring. I also attended a data science summer school in Barcelona and macroeconomics summer school in Paris.

Throughout the PhD, I have also benefited from several employment opportunities. Last year, I spent five months with the European Central Bank (ECB) as a PhD trainee, working on a range of policy projects. I also delivered tutorials and labs at Strathclyde Business School and on the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics. This year, I gained more in-depth teaching experience working as a Teaching Assistant to deliver lectures and devise assessments. I was also able to pursue my interest in policy oriented research, working as a Research Assistant at the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) on an Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) project with Deputy Director, Mairi Spowage.

My experiences undertaking research and presenting them to different audiences; undertaking policy orientated research first with the ECB and latterly with the FAI; and lecturing and assessing different year groups, led me to apply for a lectureship position with the department. I am continuing to undertake academic research and knowledge exchange activities with the FAI as well teaching.

Sharada submitted her thesis in July 2020 and her viva will take place in September 2020. Please click here for more information on research degrees in Economics and here for information on research degrees across the Business School.