Alumni interview: Max Sosa Andrés

Max Sosa Andrés earned his PhD from the Department of Economics in 2023 with her thesis “A Risky and Polarized World: Essays on Uncertainty, Ideology and Foreign Policy”. Since then, he has worked as a analyst at Riverty and is currently working as a senior analyst at TF Bank.

Why did you choose to apply to the doctoral program at the Department of Economics?

After completing my Masters program in Kiel (Germany) in 2012 I went back to Uruguay where I am originally from and worked in the consulting industry for about 5 years. Gathering real-life work experience was very important from a professional point of view, but research was still my passion. So, I decided to go back to Europe by applying to a PhD program. After carefully looking into programs and departments I applied to a couple of schools, including Uppsala. I was drawn by the department´s expertise in political and applied microeconomics, the structure of the program, the advantageous conditions for students and the overall quality of life in Sweden. When I got the offer in April 2018 I said yes immediately!

How was your time in the program – what support was offered and how was the collaboration with other researchers?

My time in the program was very fruitful. The first year is mostly about taking courses with fellow PhD students and getting to know the department and its research. The department is very open for collaboration, so it is not unusual for PhD students and faculty to collaborate. People also provide feedback at the internal seminars and t the informal presentations we do. I was also lucky to present my work at conferences in different countries and stayed as a visiting student in Barcelona for a few months, where I worked with a professor to develop what would become my main paper.

How has your doctoral program influenced your professional career?

After finishing the Phd I came to the conclusion that my time as a researcher was done and I went back to the industry. I went to work in Finance, joining the fintech company Riverty. I worked there for 2 years and am now shifting to banking, as I will join Swedish bank TF Bank as a senior analyst in May 2025.

How has the network from your time in the program influenced your future career?

The network has definitely helped, as the Swedish private sector can be difficult to get into. But the program is so well regarded and, together with my supervisors´ reference, I had a good start. And the world is smaller than we think and PhD alumni can be found in the most unexpected places.

What competencies and skills did you develop during your time as a doctoral student that you have used since?

My work requires applying many of the skills I learned and perfected during the PhD, including coding for data analytics and experiment design (A/B testing in industry jargon), as well as writing reports and presenting results to senior leadership to implement business decisions. I use Python for almost every analytical task I do at work, which I learnt during my PhD when I was working on machine learning and natural language processing applications.

Do you have any advice or tips for those considering applying to the doctoral program in economics?

If you are interested in research and you are ready to roll up your sleeves and do the work, then definitely apply. You do noy need to have a research idea to apply, but I would say it is good to have an interest in a topic and some knowledge of where the research field is going. And it is never a bad idea to brush up your coding skills!