Southern Methodist University Assistant Professor Elira Kuka has joined the National Bureau of Economic Research as a faculty research fellow, focusing on children’s research.
Elira Kuka
Kuka is the second educator from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, along with University of Texas at Dallas Professor Rodney Andrews, to be appointed as a fellow for the prestigious organization. Her appointment was effective May 1, according to SMU.
Along with the National Bureau of Economic Research, Kuka is a research affiliate at IZA- Institute of Labor Economics, concentrating on the effect government policy has on behavior and emotions.
She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Wesley College and a master’s degree and PhD in economics from the University of California, Davis. Kuka joined the SMU faculty in 2015, and teaches public finance courses.
Santana Roy, chair of the SMU Department of Economics, said he believes that Kuka is on track to be a standout in her research field.
“It is a major boost to the SMU Economics Department’s research profile and visibility.”
Santana Roy
“To be appointed a Faculty Research Fellow at the NBER is a tremendous recognition for a young scholar like Elira Kuka, who is just completing her second year as assistant professor after her Ph.D.,” Roy said in a release. “It is a major boost to the SMU Economics Department’s research profile and visibility.”
NBER is the nation’s leading private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization devoted to economic research. It has over 1,400 professors of economics and business as researchers focusing on areas of statistical measurements, quantitative economic behavior models, and public policy analysis.
Photo: Elira Kuka courtesy of SMU.
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