Lawson Ashburner

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

I stumbled into economics while in high school. When choosing my senior subjects I had one spot left and, on a whim, chose economics. It ended up being my favourite subject.
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
I chose to undertake honours for both personal and professional reasons. Not only did I want the opportunity to to conduct an extended piece of original research, Honours is an entry requirement in many of the areas I would like to begin my career in.
 
What are your career aspirations?
I would like to work for the Federal Government in an area pertaining to economic policy.
 

Zhengyang "Leo" Bao

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

My interest in economics was triggered by my bachelor’s study in the field in both China and Australia. I was amazed by the simplicity of the supply and demand curves to explain complicated economic phenomena when I first came across the discipline. After that, economics has continued to intrigue me as it involves problem solving. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
UQ’s School of Economics is highly ranked internationally and the honours program is considered to be the best in Australia. 
 
What are your career aspirations?
I believe the honours program at UQ will provide me with a valuable opportunity to do research and give the skills to transition into my future career in academia. 
 

Sophie Byth

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

After high school I decided to study law, and felt that economics would be a useful additional qualification in many areas (e.g. competition law). Economics ended up being far more interesting, so I made that the focus of my studies.
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
I was primarily interested in the research aspect of Honours, as academic research is not an opportunity I had in my undergraduate degree. I've also seriously considered continuing my studies, and Honours is excellent preparation if I do make that decision.
 
What are your career aspirations?
I really enjoy teaching economics at the university level, so I hope to have a career in academia.
 

Lucille Danks

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

I wrote one of my grade 12 English assignments on how the Henry Tax Review was represented in the media, and found myself much more interested in the content of the review than the way it was presented. At the time, I knew very little about what economics was and was intending to go on to study maths and politics at uni the following year. This assignment prompted me to start reading books on economics, through which I discovered that the field would be a great way to combine my interests in maths and politics with my intent to gain expertise in the field of development.  
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
The first reason is that I really enjoyed completing my bachelor's degree in economics and noticed that, particularly in micro and econometrics, we had only studied the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to learn more about these areas, and keep the option of further study open. The second reason is that I aspire to a have a broad career. The Honours program presents as an opportunity cement my credentials in economics, which I see to be important if I hope to move between different roles in policy, business management and economic analysis early in my career.  
 
What are your career aspirations?
I'm interested in issues pertaining to economic development and social mobility, and understand that leadership on these issues often comes from the intersection of government, corporates, the social sector and academia. I aim to acquire experience across these sectors, and to contribute technical expertise to the design and implementation of practical initiatives for advancing economic development and social mobility in Australia.
 

Johnathon Jones

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

The events during the GFC motivated me to study economics. I was fascinated by how economies could be so susceptible to financial crises and the link between the real and financial sectors in modern economies. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
The challenge of the Honours year as well as the ability to move directly into prestigious PhD programs around the world led me to study Honours. I was also excited to write a thesis on the European common currency, and the Honours program is an ideal opportunity. 
 
What are your career aspirations?
I would like to pursue a career in macroeconomic analysis in a policy-making institution such as the RBA or the European Central Bank. 
 

Luke McKenzie

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

I originally got interested in economics, probably like a lot of other people, by reading Freakonomics. At the time I was interested in mathematics and statistics and I felt that economics would be a good field to apply such skills. I was also enticed by the way economics asked interesting questions as well as tried to describe individuals’ decisions and the society we live in. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
I was interested in further developing the skills I had already developed in my studies of economics and knew Honours at UQ was the best place to do that. Honours is also essentially an introduction into the tools of academic economics, so I was excited by that. Finally, I was interested in the opportunity to undertake original research with some of world-class academics UQ has as faculty. 
 
What are your career aspirations?
I am interested in public policy; therefore I have a desire to work for the Australian Government. I think designing and assessing implementable policy would be enjoyable. I have a particular interest in issues dealing with the labour market and economic inequality. I also have some lingering interest in potentially going to the U.S. to do a PhD. 
 

Nan Phan

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

I first touched Economics in my A-Level years and was very impressed with Adam Smith’s Division of Labour theory and his pin-making example. Then when I studied about other theories such as the laws of demand and supply, of scarcity and especially game theory, economics seemed so interesting that I decided to follow for further education, mostly due to its logical and analytical aspects.
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
As my ultimate goal is to work in academia, the Honours degree is the shortest pathway for a Bachelor to do a PhD degree. Also this program can give me a glimpse of the research environment, which is extremely helpful to me.
 
What are your career aspirations?
I plan to continue to PhD and then to work in academia.
 

Daniel Pool

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

In high school I always preferred analytical and mathematical topics, that combined with my curiosity for financial markets and the extent of which the Global Financial Crisis impacted the world at the time, led me to choosing an economics degree. It has since proved to be right match for me.
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
I enrolled in the Honours program for two main reasons: to gain research skills and to extend my economics and econometrics knowledge. As research is a main component of an economist’s work, I felt that the experience developed in writing a thesis would prepare me for a career in the field. Furthermore, I got the opportunity to write about a thesis topic that really interests me. The program promised to provide us with challenging, yet stimulating coursework, and it has delivered just that. Lastly, I have knew that I would benefit from working alongside a group of like-minded and hardworking individuals.
 
What are your career aspirations?
My main areas of interest are financial economics, policy making and international comparisons of country performance. After completion of my Honours year, I aim at gaining some experience in a Central or Development Bank for a few years, then possibly doing a PhD. However, my main career ambition would be to work for a multilateral institution such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.
 

Mikhara Ramsing

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

My inspiration for studying Economics was to better understand how the world works. For me, the beauty of the discipline lies in its ability to conceptualise and improve the livelihood of others through a functioning economy. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
Being passionate about Economics, I undertook Honours to gain the opportunity to conduct my own research under the guidance of great mentors and to contribute to the discipline. I also wanted the challenge of rigorous learning and the sense of accomplishment that entails. 
 
What are your career aspirations?
I hope to apply the in-depth teaching and discipline Economic Honours will have provided me with coupled with my law degree to make an impact in the development sphere. I am passionate about sustainable social change. 
 

Robert Walter

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

I have always been passionate about environmental protection and interested in how we might create a sustainable society. The GFC prompted me to start listening to Planet Money, an economics podcast, and I realised that all of the world's environmental problems have an economic dimension. So I decided I wanted to work towards creating an economy which serves people today and preserves our environmental assets for the future. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
I almost didn't do honours when my dream job was advertised at the end of last year (economist for the Australian Conservation Foundation). However, I didn't apply for it as I feel honours is a necessary step in understanding economic theory today and developing the skills to contribute to it. I wanted to learn how to formalise my intuitive knowledge of economics so that I can understand the building blocks of contemporary approaches to economic problems. I also wanted to experience an extended research project as I am considering further study. 
 
What are your career aspirations?
I am planning to continue on with further study. Ideally I'd like to do a PhD with a focus on pluralism in economic thought and ways of accommodating diverse and even conflicting economic approaches...unless the Australian Conservation Foundation advertises my dream job again.
 

Jiacheng "Barry" Wang

What motivated and/or inspired you to study economics initially?

It was the inclusiveness of economics that deeply impressed me when I was young. To be honest, I was into history initially but then I found that a knowledge of history could be quite helpful for reinforcing an understanding of economics. More surprisingly, in the field of economics, one is always provided with opportunities to come into contacts with a broader range of disciplines including philosophy, psychology, mathematics, statistics, etc., which I find so attractive that studying economics becomes a logical option. 
 
Why did you choose to undertake Honours?
Hons program provides students with a chance to closely contact advanced economic theories and outstanding academic staffs. Excitingly a hons thesis will be generated within the hons year. For people who are interested in developing original economic theories, choosing Hons is awesome.  
 
What are your career aspirations?
Doing a Ph.D. degree might be an option for me if I found myself amazingly comfortable with a huge number of reading tasks. And I am sure that being an economist is still one of coolest things in the world. 

 

Other 2015 Honours students include:

Joshua Adams

Mai Phuong Nguyen

Gabriela Araujo

Nathan Cotton

Rhys Downham

Thomas Gardiner

Francis Graham

Ryan Leung