Congratulations to UCSB Economics Department Graduates!

It is with great pleasure that the UCSB Department of Economics congratulates the twelve doctoral candidates who were awarded their Ph.D. degrees at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. Their hard work, determination, and scholarly contributions were recognized and celebrated at the UCSB Graduate Division Commencement ceremony on June 11, 2026.

As we offer our fond farewell to this outstanding group of graduates, we do so with deep pride and appreciation for all they have contributed to the UCSB Economics community. Their dedication, curiosity, perseverance, and intellectual growth have left a meaningful mark on our department, and it has been a privilege to be part of their academic journey.

We look forward with great confidence to the impactful work they will go on to do in academia, government, industry, and beyond. Wherever their paths may lead, we are certain that each graduate will continue to represent UCSB Economics with distinction, purpose, and pride in the years ahead.

2026 Ph.D. Graduates and Placements:

• Camilo Abbate Granada – Pomona College (Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics)
• Akanksha Arora – Placement to be announced
• Sonal Barve – Placement to be announced
• Luorao Bian – Harvard University, Chan School of Public Health (Postdoctoral Associate)
• Nicolas Fuertes Segura – Placement to be announced
• Yang Gao – University of Auckland, Business School (Lecturer)
• Seonmin (Will) Heo – Korea Institute of International Economic Policy (Associate Research Fellow)
• Minwoo Hyun – University of Oklahoma (Assistant Professor of Economics)
• Shuhei Kaneko – Musashi University (Assistant Professor)
• Jimena Rico-Straffon – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Public Policy School (Assistant Professor of Public Policy)
• Spencer Sween – Intuit Inc. (Senior Data Scientist)
• Shu-Chen Tsao – National Central University (Assistant Professor of Economics)