PhD Career Success

We are committed to your success!

In McMaster’s Department of Economics, you will have a team dedicated to your success as a student in the PhD Program. Led by the department’s chair of graduate studies, you’ll receive career preparation, workplace advise, and professional mentorship while you hone your economics abilities and determine how best to use your skills in the workplace.

Whether you dream of a career in academia or on Bay Street, our faculty have connections across the employment spectrum and can help connect you with the people and opportunities that will position you for success after graduation. The practical skills, relevant theoretical knowledge, and industry connections you will collect during your studies will have a lasting impact on your future and career.

Career Pathways

Our PhD Graduates have explored a myriad of success within academia and beyond. Graduates from PhD programs frequently move into post doctoral positions here at McMaster, as well as globally at post secondary institutions, taking on a variety of roles at prestigious institutions.

Beyond academia, here are a few of the employers that have hired PhD graduates directly out of school since 2022:

  • Ontario Medical Association
  • Ontario Public Service
  • Bank of Canada
  • TD Bank

A Pathway to Post Doctoral Success

Our PhD Program provide excellent preparatory training for post doctoral studies in economics or related fields.

Here are the Post Secondary Institutions to which PhD graduates have been accepted to since 2019:

  • McMaster University (Canada)
  • University of Toronto (Canada)
  • University of Bristol (England)
  • University of British Columbia (Canada)
  • Western University (Canada)
  • University of Manitoba (Canada)

Post Doctoral Work

Each year a handful of our PhD Candidates pass their thesis defense, completing their PhD and moving into their career in Economics. In the last 5 years our PhD students have seen great success entering the work force

*All graduates began a career in their desired field within a year of graduation, based on McMasters Economics PhD graduates from 2018 to present.

22% Began within one month of graduation
31% Began their career prior to graduation
13% Began within 4 months of graduating

Meet Our Recent PhD Graduates

Alex Sam '2024 Explore Alex's Website

Alex began a tenure track Assistant Professorship position in the Department of Economics at the University of Calgary within 1 month of graduating.

Alyssa Drost '2024

Alyssa continued in her role as a Research Coordinator at the Productivity Partnership through the completion of her dissertation, and has now taken a role as an Economist for the Government of Ontario.

Yihong Bai '2023

Yihong took on a Post Doc Research Associate position at Western University within 1 month of graduating in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostastics.

Julius Owusu '2023 Explore Julius' Website

Julius joined University of Bristol, Economics Department before graduation, as an Assistant professor.

Camille Simardone '2021

After graduating in 2021, one month prior to defending her thesis, Camille joined the Department of Economics, University of British Columbia as an Assistant Professor. She returned to Ontario in 2022, joining the Ministry of Finance. There, she is currently a Senior Economist at the Labour Economics Branch at the Office of Economic Policy. In this role she provides confidential expert advice on a broad range of economic issues, lead policy analysis and development activities, as well she conducts research and data analysis in the areas of labour economics, demographics and social policy. During this time, she also taught as a sessional instructor, ECON 3E03 Applied Econometrics at McMaster.

Stephanie Houle '2018 Explore Stephanie's Website

After graduating in 2018, within 4 months, Stephanie started working at Statistics Canada in the Economic Analysis Division. She then moved to the Bank of Canada in early 2020 to join the Advanced Analytics and Digital Economy Division as a Senior Economist where she applied various machine learning and natural language processing to help solve policy questions. Last year with the Bank of Canada, she moved to the Canadian Economic Studies Division where she actively participates in the monetary policy cycle while still working on some policy-relevant research on the side.

Additional Graduates from 2018 to Present

Moyosore S.

Employer: University of Toronto
Role: Post Doc Fellow

Farzana A.

Employer: Algoma University
Role: Assistant Professor

Ryan B.

Employer: Ministry of Transportation
Role: Economist

Alex S.

Employer: University of Calgary
Role: Assistant Professor

Alyssa D.

Employer: Government of Canada
Role: Economist

Daniel T.

Employer: Finance Canada
Role: Economist

Rabiul I.

Employer: McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences
Role: Post Doc Fellow

Muhebulla K.

Employer: University of Waterloo

Karen U.

Employer: University of Toronto
Role: Assistant Professor

Sean S.

Employer: KPMG
Role: Director of Modelling and Analystics Consulting

Shaun S.

Employer: Ontario Medical Association

Zvezdomir T.

Employer: Cresendo Technology
Role: Machine Learning Engineer

Nadine C.

Employer: Ontario Medical Association
Role: Senior Economist

Khuong T.

Employer: University of Toronto
Role: Policy Associate

Farhana K.

Employer: University of Manitoba

Mahbubur R.

Employer: Stats Canada
Role: Economist

Lan W.

Employer: Stats Canada

Natalie M.

Employer: University of Alabama
Role: Assistant Professor (with tenure)

Khan S.

Employer: York University
Role: Assistant Professor

Rana S.

Employer: McMaster University
Role: Sessional Instructor

Meet the Economics Graduate Student Success Team

Pau S. Pujolas headshot image

Pau S. Pujolas

PhD

Associate Professor, Economics

pujolasp@mcmaster.ca
Alok Johri headshot image

Alok Johri

PhD

Professor, Economics

Graduate Chair, Economics

(905) 525-9140 x23830 johria@mcmaster.ca
Cynthia Zhao headshot image

Cynthia Zhao

Graduate Administrative Assistant, Economics

(905) 525-9140 x24731 econgrd@mcmaster.ca
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 426