Departmental news
Hub stability in the calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II
In this paper we use a combination of cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) to investigate structural plasticity of the multi-subunit protein kinase called CaMKII. CaMKII plays a critical role in synaptic transmission by neuronal cells and the fact we observe intrinsic variation in stoichiometry and pleomorphology of the complex is important because subunit number is thought to play a critical role in alteration of dendritic spine anatomy, which underlies the structural basis of learning.
Read the paper here.Link opens in a new window
Warwick Economics students attend prestigious Carroll Round Conference 2024
The Department of Economics are delighted to share that four of our students have presented their papers in the prestigious Carroll Round Undergraduate Economics Research Conference. Taking place at Georgetown University in Washington, the 23rd series of this Conference welcomed undergraduates from top universities around the world to present their innovative research.
The Carroll Round is an annual Conference which promotes discussion and knowledge exchange between promising undergraduate students. Focusing on the areas of international and political economics, students have the opportunity to present their research alongside economics professionals who moderate and discuss their findings.
This year’s Conference also welcomed Keynote Speakers Dr. Olivier Blanchard (MIT and previous Director of the research department at the International Monetary Fund) and Dr. Wendy Edelberg (Director of The Hamilton Project and previous Chief Economist at the Congressional Budget Office).
Our final-year module, Research in Applied Economics (RAE), is the perfect opportunity for students to develop the research skills that the Carroll Round celebrates. The best original projects of the 2024 RAE cohort were selected to be sponsored for participation in the Conference, and we offer our biggest congratulations to this year’s students:
Class of 2024
• Sherry Lakkineni (BSc Economics) – “From Humans to Machines: Assessing the impact of Automation on Employment”, supervisor Professor Natalie Chen.
• Chin Howe Tsai (BSc Economics) – “The Effect of Oil Prices on Singapore’s Inbound Tourism Using a Markov Switching Model”, supervisor Dr Arthur Galichère.
• Yujing Zhang (BSc Economics) – “Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Land-Efficiency: A Quasi Experiment Approach” , supervisor Dr Nduka Eleanya.
• Thomas Loubeyres (BSc Economics with Study Abroad) – “The Effect of Oil Prices on Singapore’s Inbound Tourism”, supervisor Dr Samuel Obeng.
We asked the students to share their reflections on the Conference and their participation:
Chin Howe Tsai
"The 23rd Carroll Round Conference was an incredibly humbling experience. Looking back, I became more aware of the research advances in various economic fields and witnessed how economic theories can be used in creative ways – for instance, in modelling baseball games. I also had the privilege of meeting a delegation of passionate student researchers, who kindly provided their feedback to my paper that modelled Singapore’s tourism growth using a Markov Switching Model. I found myself fully engaged in discussions on the intricacies of Markov models and ongoing developments in convergence, which further piqued my interest in the field of econometrics. The dual charm of the conference – a critical review of our work but a conducive learning environment, made the experience fulfilling and I would recommend it to the juniors who are interested in economic research. Finally, I would like to thank the department for sponsoring the trip and my dissertation mentor for his supervision, without which this would not have been possible."
Yujing Zhang
"The three-day conference was packed and extremely exciting! Participating in the event allowed me to conclude my undergraduate studies on a high note.
The burst of curiosity and creativity within the discipline of economics was palpable, with participants contributing to economic research in various innovative ways. Some are "theorists", boldly stepped out of conventional methods, analyzing classical economic problems with new models. Others, including myself, considered ourselves "empiricists," applying economic concepts to untangle global challenges.
On one hand, it was inspiring to see some participants delve deeper into what people typically expect from economics. On the other hand, it was fascinating to witness how economics, as a flexible and open field, merges with other disciplines. My own research intersected with environmental studies and agronomy, while others explored connections with psychology, machine learning and statistics, health, and education.
As one of the keynote speakers, Professor Blanchard remarked, those who study economics often have a shared ambition to improve the world and address its challenges. It was a fascinating experience to observe the new generation of economic researchers, characterized by diverse interests, curiosity, and unwavering passion.
I had the opportunity to meet and befriend many brilliant minds. Their research, questions, and thoughts enhanced my own work and pointed me toward new directions for improvement.
I would also like to thank my home department, my supervisor Dr. Nduka, and RAE module leader Dr. Obeng. I would not have had the chance to bring my work to the Carroll Round Conference without their support."
Thomas Loubeyres
"The 23rd Carroll Round Conference was one of the highlights of my academic experience at Warwick. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals, who share the same interest in economics, provided a medium through which I could be stimulated intellectually thanks to the highly technical nature of both the presentations and the conversations that followed. Being confronted with critiques and suggestions for improvement on my dissertation was both a challenging and rewarding experience. Conversing on the work done by everyone has developed a newfound interest in certain fields of economics, notably macroeconomic policy and machine-learning estimation techniques. The professionalism displayed by both the organisers and the participants cemented my belief in the importance of the research presented. The opportunity to talk to some of the most influential people in economics in Dr Wendy Edelberg and Prof. Olivier Blanchard, was a truly memorable experience as I gained an insight into the fundamental real-life implications of their pioneering research. Beyond academic benefits, I found great joy in socialising with students from universities worldwide which I would never otherwise have been able to do. The entire experience reinforced my desire to pursue further studies focused on economic policy, hoping to one day transition into institutional-type roles following the path of many Carroll Round alumni. I would like to send my heartfelt appreciation to Prof. Samuel Obeng, through which none of this would have been possible, and to the department for sponsoring such an eye-opening experience."
Congratulations again to our students, and we wish you all success for your future endeavours.
Relevant Links
Warwick Economics students present research at prestigious Carroll Round Conference 2023
Four Economics students present papers at prestigious Carroll Round 2022
Photo - from left to right: Thomas Loubeyres, Yujing Zhang and Chin Howe Tsai (Sherry Lakkineni attended remotely).
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024/2025 - applications open now
The Department of History at the University of Warwick is pleased to announce that the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme is now open and welcomes expressions of interest. The full outline of the process and further details are available hereLink opens in a new window.
Note that Warwick's internal deadline for receiving the materials is Wednesday 28th August.2024 5pm.
Economics PhD student wins Best Paper award in Industrial Economics
Warwick Economics PhD student, Adam Di Liza, has received the Best Paper prize of the Business and Industry Section of the Royal Statistical Society awarded at the PhD Symposium 2024 in Industrial Economics.
Adam's paper, Social Influence in Online Reviews: Evidence from the Steam Store, discusses his research on how the reviews left by users might influence the reviews others leave. Using a policy change on the Steam gaming platform the paper shows that when users are exposed to the reviews of others, they are more likely to leave a negative review if they see a negative review. However, this does not happen when users see a positive review. This negativity bias increases the gap between lower rated and higher rated games. Other key findings of this research point out that less experienced users are influenced by the reviews of others much more, and policies that correct this negative bias increase the sales of products on the platform.
Adam, who is a first year PhD student of Economics at Warwick, was awarded the Best Paper prize of the Business and Industrial Section of the Royal Statistical Society for the best contribution to the use and advancement of statistical-econometric methods and/or data collection to the analysis of industrial economic issues.
Adam's prize was announced at the PhD Symposium in Industrial Economics, as part of a two-day research conference of the Network of Industrial Economists (NIE) on Innovation and Competition in Digital Platforms held at the University of Warwick on 27-28 June 2024. The symposium brings together early career economists (PhD students and postdoctoral researchers) to foster discussion and dissemination of research in all areas of industrial economics and to provide them with feedback on their work from a designated discussant drawn from both internal and external faculty.
Commented on the award, Adam said:
“It's great that so many people found my research interesting. Understanding the specifics of online review generation is hopefully useful for platforms, but also us as consumers. Not only did I get really good feedback, but I got to discuss this in detail with my fellow presenters throughout the day. Both my supervisors, Professor Mirko Draca and Dr Ao Wang, have been of immense help as I wrote this up over the last few months and I definitely couldn't have done this without them.”
We congratulate Adam on this achievement and wish him further successes in the future.
Related information
Adam Di Liza is a first year PhD student in the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick. Further information about his research and publications can be found on his PhD student Profile – Adam Di Liza.
The Network of Industrial Economists
Established in 1970, the Network of Industrial Economists (NIE) is a forum for interchange among university economists in the UK, and for interaction between academia, business, and government on topics of industry economics.
NIE Conference and PhD Symposium 2024, 27-28 June 2024, University of Warwick
Royal Statistical Society
Founded in 1834, the Royal Statistical Society is one of the world’s leading organisations advocating for the importance of statistics and data. It’s a professional body for all statisticians and data analysts with more than 10,000 members in the UK and across the world.
Big Bang Fair 2024
A group of staff and postgraduate students from the department inspired students and teachers with exciting experiments and interactive games at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham at the end of June.
2024 Postgraduate prizes and awards
Congratulations to our 2024 postgraduate (research) students who have won prizes for their thesis and our second year poster prize winners.
Dean of WMG visits China
Dean of WMG, Professor Robin Clark; International Partnerships Manager, Nicole Craddock-Zhang; and International Academic Director – China, Dr Dawei Lu, travelled to China recently for a series of high-profile meetings with key representatives from higher education, industry and government.
The trip was a crucial part of WMG’s strategy to help future collaboration and drive innovation in the country.
Professor Clark and his team met with representatives from Beijing City University (Shanghai Operation) and East China University of Science and Technology, where they discussed further collaboration on both education programmes and research initiatives. They then headed to the Nanjing University of Science and Technology to explore student entrepreneurship programmes.
Meetings also took place with GAO Yingzhong, Director General, at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Zhejiang provincial bureau, where industry opportunities in the province were explored.
While in Zhejiang, constructive meetings were also held with Geely Holdings Group, China’s largest privately owned automotive company. Here Professor Clark and representatives from Geely Holdings discussed opportunities to support the company’s Automotive Engineering Institute.
Finally, there was the opportunity to re-connect with WMG alumni and hear more about their careers and business ventures post-graduation.
Commenting on the trip, Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said: “It was great to return to Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou after the pandemic. We strengthened WMG’s relationship with higher education partners, industries as well as government agencies that support our strategies.
“I was particularly pleased to be able to meet the alumni communities too, their enthusiasm was infectious. They were glad to see us, and they have proven to be great ambassadors in the industries they now work in, continuing to make an impact as part of the WMG vision.”
WLS student shares experience of participating at the International Conference of Undergraduate Research 2024
Mahek Bhatia, final year Law undergraduate student shares her experience of presenting her research at the International Conference of Undergraduate Research 2024.
Warwick Battery Days 2024
The Warwick Battery Days (WBD 2024) conference, co-organised by Warwick Chemistry and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), was a resounding success.