BFI Places Undergraduates in Impactful Internships Nationwide

This summer, BFI placed 12 undergraduate students in substantive internships both within the University of Chicago and external positions around the country. From training city departments on behavioral economics to working side-by-side with faculty, the students had a wide range of experiences that utilized their University of Chicago economics education. The students’ work held real-world impact and provided meaningful, informative experiences that deepened students’ learning and inquiry.

Two programs made the internships possible. This year, BFI launched the Kapani Metcalf Internship Program for Undergraduate Economics Students. The second program, the Brickell Metcalf Internship Program, also supported undergraduate students in their work with faculty.

BFI External Interns

James Lee, Office of Budget and Innovation, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office
Makenzi Mulkins, Louisville Metro Government Office of Performance Improvement and Innovation
Daniel Smith, Behavioral Economics Consultant, Office of Performance and Strategic Innovation, Mayor’s Office of Tulsa
Nirali Trivedi, Economics Research Intern, The Council of Economic Advisers, Executive Office of the President

Research Assistants 

Owen Eagan, Professor Ali Hortacsu and Assistant Professor Felix Tintelnot
Jacob Gosselin, Professor Neale Mahoney
Kei Irizawa, Assistant Professor Michael Dinerstein
Adam Oppenheimer, Sabina Shaikh, Director, Program on Global Environment
Zhichen Sha, Assistant Professor Michael Dinerstein
Cynthia Aguilar-Paredes, Assistant Professor Yana Gallen
Yifan Xu, Professor Ali Hortacsu and Assistant Profsesor Felix Tintelnot
Zhifan Zhou, Professor William Hubbard

Student Testimonials

“As a UChicago economics student, my training prepared me for everything from writing literature reviews on cybersecurity to interpreting large sets of data on Chinese currency reserves from the Bloomberg Terminal.” – Nirali Trivedi, Economics Research Intern, White House Council of Economic Advisers

“The work I was doing made me feel like I was contributing to the public, since my work may influence future funding or policies. I’m now more excited to look for positions in government or nonprofits or research firms where I can create results that can help the public.” – James Lee, Office of Budget and Innovation, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office

“My summer internship experience is definitely one I will never forget. I was able to work with people that are truly experts in their fields, all while maintaining that focus for continuous improvement and ‘data-drivenness.’” – Makenzi Mulkins, Louisville Metro Government Office of Performance Improvement and Innovation

“My economics background from the University was critical in my success. I was constantly relaying knowledge I had learned in various classes to the department heads I worked with and finding interesting ways to apply it to their problems.” – Daniel Smith, Behavioral Economics Consultant, Office of Performance and Strategic Innovation, Mayor’s Office of Tulsa