The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) have announced the selection of Kaixin Wang as the 2021-22 Liang Family Research Fellow at BFI. Liang Family Fellows are highly promising, early-career researchers who receive mentorship and training from leading economists working on issues related to economic policy in greater China, with a goal of placing scholars into top PhD programs.
“I am very honored and excited to be selected as this year’s Liang Family Research Fellow,” Wang says. “The fellowship allows me to pursue my interest in environmental economics research with important policy impact under mentorship from Professor Michael Greenstone and other leading researchers. I hope to contribute to projects that will further our understanding of the social impact of environmental issues, especially those related to my home country China.”
Wang graduated from the University of Chicago in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics. His research interests are in micro-econometrics and its application in environmental and energy policy. During his fellowship, Wang will work closely with EPIC-faculty Director Michael Greenstone and other leading researchers at EPIC-China, EPIC’s dedicated center focused on Chinese energy and environmental policy.
The inaugural Liang Family Research Fellow, Shaoda Wang, completed his fellowship in June. In July, he began work as an Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy – a testament to the quality of the scholarship made possible by this fellowship. At Harris, he will continue his pioneering work on environmental regulations and environmental quality in China.
Professor Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, and Director of both BFI and EPIC, credits the Liang fellowship with providing a launchpad for Dr. Wang’s career. “Thanks to James Liang’s visionary gift to BFI and UChicago, we are able to provide an opportunity for promising scholars to work on understanding the economics of energy and the environment in China. This gift is not just providing a flying start to early-career researchers; it is helping to create a new field.”
“The Liang Family Research Fellowship is helping build BFI-China into a destination for top scholars to engage in research on the Chinese economy,” added Zhiguo He, the Fuji Bank and Heller Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth and Director of BFI-China. “We are grateful to the Liang Family for their support.”
EPIC-China is an initiative of BFI-China, which aims to foster and produce cutting-edge economics research, share expertise and insights with Chinese academics and policymakers, and invest in the next generation of researchers on Chinese economic policy. As part of their commitment to advancing frontier research in China, both BFI-China and EPIC-China work closely with premier Chinese research institutions through joint research partnerships. These include the Tsinghua University – University of Chicago Joint Research Center for Economics and Finance and EPIC’s Joint Energy Policy Research Center with the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.