USC PhD in Economics Alumni Conference
The USC Department of Economics is excited to invite program alumni and affiliates to gather once more for our biennial conference.
DATE: April 18-19, 2025
LOCATION: USC Hotel, Angeles, CA
This conference is only open to alumni, faculty, and select students of the USC PhD in Economics program
This year’s conference will be in memory of, and to honor, Professor Richard (Dick) Easterlin, who sadly passed away last December 16th, 2024. Dick Easterlin is known as the Father of Happiness Economics, and for the Easterlin Paradox – his observation that human happiness does not necessarily increase over time with income.
Beyond academic exchange, the main objective of the conference is to foster interaction and collaboration among members of the USC Economics community, gathering graduates from all cohorts and current faculty members. There will also be limited slots for current USC PhD in Economics students to participate.
The conference will consist of 2 days of presentations and plenary talks by USC Economics alumni and USC professors. Don’t miss the perfect opportunity to reunite with fellow alumni on Trojan turf, exchange ideas with leading economists, and strengthen your professional network!
We can’t wait to see you!
Plenary Speakers
John Elliott Chair in Economics
Professor of Economics
Thomas Chaney holds a PhD in economics from MIT, where he worked under the supervision of Daron Acemoglu (Nobel Prize 2024), Xavier Gabaix, and Marc Melitz. He joined the faculty of USC Economics in 2021. He is joint Managing Editor at the Review of Economic Studies, a member of the Council of the European Economic Association, a Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research, and a Research Fellow at the CESifo Research Network.
Thomas’s research focuses on international trade. He has studied the role of trade in the emergence of ancient cities in the Bronze Age, the role of production networks in shaping the patterns of international trade, and the importance of circulation of ancient coins in fostering trade and economic growth in the Ancient Mediterranean.
Professor of Finance and Business Economics
Professor of Economics
Ayşe İmrohoroğlu is a macroeconomist who specializes in understanding business cycles, inflation, unemployment insurance, and social security.
Her work has been published in the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, and Journal of Monetary Economics. She received a National Science Foundation grant in 1992 to investigate the effects of social security programs on economies with imperfect insurance. From 2004 to 2007, she was Chair of the Department of Finance and Business Economics.
