Chad Kendall
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
Having previously had a successful career in industry, I was motivated to attend graduate school to satisfy my intellectual curiosity. I believe a career in academia will allow me to continually challenge myself and allow me to more freely follow where my continually changing interests lead.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
UBC's Vancouver School of Economics is very well-respected within Canada and around the world. The faculty have a wide range of expertise and are highly motivated in ensuring their students' success.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I have lived in Vancouver for many years, but even though I had been many times, I did not fully appreciate the beauty of the campus at UBC until I began attending there in September.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
I think graduate life varies considerably with the program, but for economics PhD students, my advice would be to bear down for the first year. It is a tough year, but the rewards for getting through it are many!
Learn more about Chad's research
I do applied theoretical work in the fields of finance and political economy. I'm mainly interested in how diverse information among individuals is aggregated and the incentives of individuals to acquire information. For example, information aggregation plays a role in financial markets, through trading, and in political economy, through voting. To test my theories, I use tools suited to the application, which may include empirical data, field experiments, or laboratory experiments.