Peter Blair Henry

Excellence in Economics

In 2014, the PhD EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE welcomed its first participants under the generous funding of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In July of that year, the first PhD Excellence Summer Research Workshop united the wider Peer Network and provided a forum for sharing research, methodology, and support. Our current featured participant profile and information about the Summer Workshop appear below. Interested in Applying? Go to Application Info (via the NEW PhDEI Website). For updates, follow @PhDEI_Econ and #PhDExcellence

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In July 2018, the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative officially welcomed its fifth research fellow, Camille Gardner, to New York City and NYU Stern. Camille joins the Initiative following her employment with an apparel startup in the Boston area, where she developed an interest in machine learning algorithms and their applications in retail economics.

Camille earned her BA in Economics and Spanish from Wellesley College in 2014. At Wellesley, Camille was a two-time Black Academic Award winner and member of the Sigma Delta Pi National Spanish Honor Society. She spent a semester abroad at the University of Córdoba, Spain, and during her Junior year, she was selected by the faculty to participate in the undergraduate/graduate program offered jointly by Wellesley’s Economics Department and Brandeis’ International Business School (IBS), with concurrent enrollment during her Senior year. In 2013, Camille received Brandeis’ Academic Leadership Scholarship Award, and during the summer of 2014 she worked as a Financial Management Intern at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Camille received her Masters in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University in 2015. Her path post-graduation led her to the online retailer Peach, where she worked as both a Data Operations Associate and as Shipping and Fulfillment Manager.

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[accordian][toggle title=”In Her Own Words” open=”yes”]When I was 11 years old, there was a gas shortage in Phoenix, Arizona, where my family lived. I remember vividly our car running out of gas and having to walk several miles just to find an operating gas station. It was an interesting and challenging time in Phoenix, marred by long lines at gas stations, restrictions on gas, and exorbitant gas prices. Witnessing the differences in the actions and behavior of consumers, suppliers, businesses, and emergency services during the gas shortage provided an eye-opening lesson in how thoroughly an economy can be disrupted by a single event.

More than a decade later, I was considering the next step in my academic and professional career when I met Dr. Henry. Having the opportunity to discuss research interests with him as well as receive advice on my academic goals made me realize that the Ph.D. Excellence Initiative would be a perfect supplement for my non-traditional background. My fellowship will deepen the knowledge of economics and finance that I acquired in college while also refining my academic interests. During my first year, I will focus on extending my quantitative and overall research skills as well as exploring the many sub-disciplines of economics in preparation for applying to doctoral programs.
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2018 Summer Research Workshop

On July 31, 2018, the PhD Excellence Initiative held its Fifth Annual Summer Research Workshop, hosted for the first time by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Visiting Professors of Economics from Harvard, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, the University of Chicago, and Yale University joined NYU Stern’s Doctoral Program ambassadors to provide feedback on presentations and share their own research with five current and former fellows of the PhDEI, in addition to members of the PhDEI’s Peer Mentoring Network and several undergraduates majoring in economics.

Highlights from the 2017 Summer Workshop
Highlights from the 2016 Summer Workshop
Highlights from the 2015 Summer Workshop
Highlights from the 2014 Summer Workshop
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Participants of the 2018 Summer Research Workshop at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York[/one_half]