Alumni interview: Jacob Lundberg

Jacob Lundberg received his PhD from the Department of Economics in 2017 with the thesis “Essays on Income Taxation and Wealth Inequality”. He has since worked at IFN, Timbro and the Ministry of Finance, among others.

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

I was interested in taxes and public economics and knew that Uppsala had a strong research environment in that area. In addition, I had heard a lot of good things about the atmosphere and work environment at the department.

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

It was a fun time, with the first-year courses laying a good foundation for the thesis work. Those of us who started our PhDs in the same year had good cohesion and helped each other with courses and other things. I also had good supervisors who guided me all the way to the finish line.

How has your PhD influenced your professional career?

It opened doors to several fun jobs where I could use both the theoretical foundation and practical skills in statistics and numerical computation. A PhD has given me the privilege of being able to both hold qualified jobs outside academia and later come back to the research world.

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

Uppsala PhD economists are everywhere in government agencies, social partners, universities and research institutes. I often meet old doctoral colleagues, and of course this opens doors for collaboration.

Do you have any advice for those considering applying to the PhD program in economics?

A good foundation in mathematics and statistics is of course important, but don't forget institutional knowledge. Become an expert in municipal economics, social insurance or climate policy and you will never be short of research topics and can also quickly get to know key actors, which can provide access to data or funding, for example.

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