Programs
PhD Program
Job Market Candidates

2025-2026 PhD Job Market Candidates

Thank you for visiting the Department of Economics placement page. Its purpose is to give interested institutions a preview of our PhD candidates who are available for employment.

Economics PhD alumni who are re-entering the job market and interested in using the Departmental job market services should contact Mark Patterson for more information.

Current Job Market Candidates

Placement Officer

Daniel Martin

Associate Professor of Economics

Wilcox Family Chair in Entrepreneurial Economics

danielmartin@ucsb.edu

Candidate	Research Areas	Advisor(s)	Job Market Paper
Luorao Bian PhD Candidate North Hall 3017	Environmental Economics, Labor Economics	Olivier Deschenes	"The Environmental Implications of Place-Based Policy: Evidence from Minimum Wage Ordinances"
Sebastian Brown PhD Alum	Labor Economics, Applied Microeconomics, Behavioral Economics	Peter Kuhn	“How Much Can I Make? Insights on Belief Updating in the Labor Market”
Kenneth Chan PhD Alum	Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Economic Theory, Labor Economics, Health Economics	Erik Eyster	"An Axiomatic Model and Test of Belief Updating: Bayes, Grether (1980), and Preservation of MLRP"
Nicolas Fuertes Segura PhD Candidate North Hall 3017	Health Economics, Labor Economics	Heather Royer	"Friendship Formation and Network Effects: Experimental Evidence from Ecuador"
Yang Gao PhD Candidate North Hall 2041	Macroeconomics, Environmental Economics, Firm Dynamics	Peter Rupert	"Beyond Emissions: The Implications of Capital Misallocation on Optimal Carbon Tax"
Seonmin (Will) Heo PhD Candidate North Hall 3017	Environmental Economics, Urban Economics	Olivier Deschenes	"Learning from Floods: The Behavioral Dynamics of Housing Market Adjustment"
Minwoo Hyun PhD Candidate North Hall 3045	Environmental and Natural Resources, Labor Economics, Public Economics	Kyle Meng	"Trapped or Transferred: Worker Mobility and Labor Market Power in the Energy Transition"
Shuhei Kaneko PhD Candidate North Hall 2047	Health Economics, Labor Economics, Applied Econometrics	Heather Royer	"Beyond Cavities: The Effects of Low-Level Fluoride Exposure in Childhood on Dental Health, Cognitive Ability, and Self-Esteem"
Rihyeon Kang PhD Candidate North Hall 3053	Labor Economics, Public Economics	Peter Kuhn	"Technology Maturity and Human Capital Investment: Dynamic Labor Market Effects of Robot Adoption"
Risa Lewis EES PhD Candidate Bren Hall 3021	Experimental and Behavioral Economics, Environmental Economics	Christopher Costello	"Willingness to Pay to Avoid the Emotional Well-being Impact of Climate Change Information"
Lucas Reddinger PhD Alum	Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Labor Economics	Erik Eyster	"Temptation: Immediacy and Certainty"
Jimena Rico-Straffon PhD Candidate North Hall 2041	Environmental Economics, Labor Economics, Development Economics	Heather Royer	"Impacts of Piped Water Shortages on Labor Supply: Evidence from Mexico City"
Shu Chen Tsao PhD Candidate North Hall 3053	Resource and Environmental Economics, Applied Game Theory, Public Economics	Christopher Costello	"Innovation and Adaptation to Expanding Biological Threats"