[{"jcr:title":"Alumni participate in the pre-doctoral program at the Becker Friedman Institute, University of Chicago","cq:tags_0":"tipos-de-conteudo:acontece-no-insper/alumni"},{"richText":"Bernardo Lisboa and Gustavo Martins Luchesi are the first to be selected for the two-year Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP).","authorDate":"24/07/2024 15h54","author":"Tiago Cordeiro","madeBy":"Por","tag":"tipos-de-conteudo:acontece-no-insper/alumni","title":"Alumni participate in the pre-doctoral program at the Becker Friedman Institute, University of Chicago","variant":"imagecolor"},{"jcr:title":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"themeName":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"containerType":"containerTwo"},{"jcr:title":"Grid Container Section","layout":"responsiveGrid"},{"targetId":"compartilhar1","text":"Confira mais em:","tooltipText":"Link copiado com sucesso."},{"text":"Bernardo Lisboa and Gustavo Martins Luchesi have known each other since 2019, when Luchesi started the undergraduate program in Economics. A year earlier, Lisboa had begun his undergraduate studies at Insper with the course in Economics and opted for a double degree in Business Administration. Both were members of Consilium, a student organization focused on the study of public policies and committed to elevating the level of technical analysis based on data and evidence in an impartial and nonpartisan manner. They also participated in the origins of Insper Data, a student organization aimed at encouraging research through the study of real-world problems, using data science.   Now, the two, who are from São Paulo and have already completed their undergraduate programs, are reuniting for a new experience: they are the first alumni of Insper to participate in the Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP), a two-year research program organized by the Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) at the University of Chicago, which serves as a gateway to the world’s leading doctoral programs. They will share an apartment and, starting in August, work as university collaborators on research projects aimed at shaping graduate students.   Lisboa, 24, will work with Emanuele Colonnelli, an Italian professor who specializes in finance at the Chicago Booth School of Business. “His research focuses on the intersection of finance and development, particularly involving the analysis of incentives in the interaction between investors, governments, entrepreneurs, employees, and/or firms in emerging countries. The professor has a series of studies focused on Brazil, but also has research on China and Kenya, for example,” he explains.   In turn, Luchesi, who is 23 years old, will collaborate with Dmitri Koustas and Yana Gallen. “Both study labor markets,” he explains. “He has recently been working on aspects of the gig economy, self-employment usually connected to apps, and she studies wage disparities between men and women in the labor market.”   Comprehensive partnership   In May 2023, the BFI and Insper announced they had established a comprehensive and multi-year collaboration in research. The aim is to produce new insights into the main economic policy issues faced by Brazil and to inspire and empower a new generation of early-career researchers. The costs are funded by the Haddad Foundation. Claudio Haddad, founder and Chair of the Insper Board of Counsellors and President of the board of the foundation, received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1974.   The BFI brings together more than 200 faculty members from the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Booth School of Business, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School to foster new insights on the world’s most significant economic problems. The partnership between the two institutions is part of BFI Latin America, whose mission is to produce cutting-edge knowledge on the most pressing economic issues in Latin America.   One of the initiatives expected in the agreement is the participation of Insper alumni in the PREP. At the end of 2023, Insper launched the selection notice, which resulted in the selection of four names. “The selection process was rigorous. It took into account academic performance and prior research experience, in addition to the submission of a recommendation letter by a member of the Insper faculty. We received applications from candidates with excellent potential,” says Professor Bruno Varella Miranda, who worked on the selection.   The four candidates nominated by Insper were then evaluated and interviewed by professors from the University of Chicago, who made formal offers to the students. “The interview aimed to present the research program and assess if the candidate was aligned with the proposal. When I spoke with Professor Colonnelli, I was captivated by his proposal”, says Lisboa — who, initially, after graduating, was more inclined to pursue a career in the market.   Different perspectives   The student developed an interest in academic research during his undergraduate studies but later worked at the fintech Stone and at Bank of America, planning to continue on that path for some time. “While working in the market, I kept myself updated by looking for the most relevant papers in economics. I planned to return to academic research around 2026 until I heard about the program in Chicago, and I was very intrigued,” he says.   “It’s a way to test myself in the academic field, at a top-tier university, surrounded by researchers from all over the world. Living in the city, with such diversity, will be culturally very interesting,” he emphasizes, keeping his future open. “I might continue in research, or return to the market, either coming back to Brazil or staying abroad, in the United States or Europe,” he says, having done an exchange program at the University of Pennsylvania through Insper during his undergraduate studies.   In turn, Luchesi, who also did an exchange program during college, in his case at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, decided to pursue an academic career during his Final Project period.   “The year I spent working with professor Letícia Nunes was decisive. After my thesis, I worked as a research assistant for Letícia and professor Luiz Felipe Fontes. I spent almost 10 months working on an extension of my thesis and on other topics in Health Economics, which was also crucial for my decision to apply for the pre-doctoral program. During that time, I was more involved in daily research activities, which confirmed my desire to pursue a graduate program in the future.”   However, he thought about pursuing graduate studies in Brazil. When Insper’s call for applications was opened, he realized that following an academic path abroad was a concrete possibility. His initial plan is to pursue a doctoral program in the United States or Europe.   “Initiatives such as PREP allow Insper to expand connections with research training programs for students with high academic performance,” says Miranda. “We want to expand these connections to facilitate the transition to graduate education for our students interested in pursuing an academic career. Fundamentally, we want to expand the possible professional pathways for Insper’s students.”"},{"text":"Insper International [Partnerships](/content/insper-portal/pt/quem-somos/internacional/parcerias.html) [Partnership with the University of Illinois](/content/insper-portal/en/quem-somos/internacional/parceria-com-a-universidade-de-illinois.html) [International Mobility](/content/insper-portal/en/quem-somos/internacional/mobilidade.html) [MBA International Week](/content/insper-portal/en/quem-somos/internacional/mba-international-week.html) [Global Academy](/content/insper-portal/en/quem-somos/internacional/global-academy.html) [COIL](/content/insper-portal/en/quem-somos/internacional/coil.html)"}]