Blog
From PhD Fellow to President: (of Colpensiones, Colombia’s public pension and social security administrator) – Juan Villa
by
Ruby Richardson
November 2018
Four years ago, in 2014, Juan Villa spent three months at UNU-WIDER in our PhD Fellowship Programme. I spoke to him on a sunny September afternoon...
Blog
The UNU-WIDER Visiting PhD Fellowship – in my experience
by
Shiqi Guo
March 2022
I now work as an assistant professor at Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. I visited UNU-WIDER in 2017...
Blog
I was a visiting PhD fellow at UNU-WIDER — this is my experience
by
Virgi Sari
October 2021
Virgi Agita Sari joined UNU-WIDER as a visiting PhD fellow in the summer of 2017. Coming from Indonesia, Virgi joined five other fellows from across...
Blog
Opportunities beyond lecture rooms – widening my career perspectives as a UNU-WIDER PhD fellow
by
Nyemwererai Matshaka
September 2022
It was surreal to take a springtime walk along the harbor in Helsinki on my way to UNU-WIDER’s headquarter offices for the first time. My initial...
Blog
Research insights, new friends and meeting Stiglitz: Shreya Bhattacharya - 2018 PhD Fellow
by
UNU-WIDER, Shreya Bhattacharya
March 2019
In the fall of 2018 UNU-WIDER welcomed 11 doctoral students from around the world as part of our PhD Fellowship Programme. The students, from Ghana...
Blog
WIDER Alumni Amadou Boly shares wisdom for next generation
by
Amadou Boly
December 2023
Amadou Boly is Special Assistant in the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Complex at the African Development Bank (ADB). Before that, he...
Blog
From snow to spring: Research and life lessons from Finland
by
Krishna Priya Choragudi
August 2024
Coming from a tropical region in India, the Finnish weather, with its sub-zero temperatures, were an unfamiliar challenge, but I was inspired by the...
Blog
Progressive research with amazing people in a beautiful sauna-crazy country: Pui Yi Wong - 2018 PhD Fellow
by
UNU-WIDER, Pui Yi Wong
March 2019
In the fall of 2018 UNU-WIDER welcomed 11 doctoral students from around the world as part of our PhD Fellowship Programme. The students, from Ghana...
Blog
Solving the PhD puzzle: My experience as a visiting PhD Fellow
by
Weiwei Chen
March 2020
I am now in my fourth year as a PhD student in development studies at SOAS, University of London, working on my thesis, ‘The Dynamics of Chinese...
Blog
Building connections that matter: UNU-WIDER Visiting PhD and Scholar programmes
Every year about 20 visitors come to Helsinki to find a new home at UNU-WIDER in our Visiting Scholars and PhD Fellowship programmes. Although their...
Blog
Building skills to influence policy at home and abroad: Learning and growing with UNU-WIDER
by
Pouirkèta Rita Nikiema
January 2020
UNU-WIDER has featured prominently in my research career to date. It began during my PhD when I visited the Helsinki office as a Visiting PhD Fellow...
Blog
The new normal: My experience in an online cohort of visiting PhD Fellows
by
Martina Querejeta
January 2022
Everyone that has been engaged in a PhD experience agrees that the whole process is a tough and sometimes lonely challenge. However, the visiting PhD...
Blog
Along the PhD path: A change in environment for a new perspective
by
Mark Akrofi
March 2023
After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, I was thrilled to receive an acceptance letter to UNU-WIDER's Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme. Until this...
Blog
From UNU-WIDER to the world: Journeys in development economics
by
Anna Toppari
June 2024
‘What makes UNU-WIDER a unique place for researchers is the sense of community and the combination of academic rigour, policy relevance, and position...
Blog
Affirmative action in Brazil’s higher education system
Evidence from Brazil shows how affirmative action students in the higher education system adjust their behaviour to catch up with initially higher...
Blog
Taking localisation beyond labels and lip service
by
Swetha Ramachandran, Rachel M. Gisselquist
January 2024
Donors increasingly speak of locally led aid response, but often do not walk the walk. Case in point is the United States Agency for International...