Co-op for our PhD Student Meysam Yazdanipour

Did you know our graduate programs offer a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) stream?

More of our students are taking advantage of this opportunity to gain meaningful, hands on experience before graduation.

PhD candidate Meysam Yazdanipour has secured a co-op placement with the Ontario Ministry of Finance, working in the Economic Policy, Industrial Economics and Trade branch. His doctoral research focuses on international trade, and this placement will allow him to deepen that expertise while building skills for future career opportunities.

In his role, Meysam will work with Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models, advanced economic tools that use detailed data and economic theory to simulate how an entire economy responds to policy changes, external shocks or major events. These models capture interactions across sectors, consumers and production factors, offering a comprehensive view of impacts on prices, output and overall economic welfare.

The application process for this placement was highly competitive, with interviews beginning in March 2025 and involving candidates from multiple institutions. In addition to his work on trade, Meysam’s research also explores environmental economics. He received support throughout the application process from Professor Pau Pujolas, the department’s former placement officer.

Students in any graduate program within the Department of Economics who hold a GPA of B or higher at the time of application, and who have earned a B+ or higher in ECON 761 or ECON 6G03, may apply to transfer from the regular stream into the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) stream associated with their degree.

Are you an undergraduate student? We have a co-op stream for you too! 

If you’d like to connect with Meysam, and see what work he’s up to you can find him on LinkedIn.