Courses taught:

Economics and Data Science (73-265):

This course is at the intersection of economic analysis, computing, and statistics. It develops foundational skills in these areas and provides students with hands-on experience in identifying, analyzing, and using data to solve real-world problems in economics and business. In this course we will be using the statistical programming language R, which is a powerful open-source language that is widely used. In this very hands-on, data-centric, course, students will learn the basics of data manipulation, how to visualize, present and interpret data related to economic and business activity by employing statistical analysis and various visualization techniques. Through many interactive exercises, students will develop a foundation for data-driven decision making. This course also provides a solid base for future courses such as Econometrics I and II (73-274/275) that provide a rigorous treatment of more advanced methods used for business, economics, and public policy.

Behavioral Economics (73-348):

This course is intended to give students insights and applications in the field of behavioral economics. Behavioral economics is the interdisciplinary study of how people make decisions. It draws together research from economics, psychology, political science and management to address topics such as heuristics and biases in inference and prediction, risk perceptions and attitudes, and the roles of groups and emotional processes in decision making. This behavioral approach is in contrast with the traditional approach of how people should make decisions (normative theory), which is typically studied in Microeconomics. Studying how people actually make decisions (descriptive theory) is the aim of behavioral economics. Understanding how people make decisions is an important step in being able to help people make better decisions.

Game Theory Applications for Economics and Business (73-347):

Game theory studies mathematical descriptions of strategic interactions between rational decision makers. It has become a mainstream toolkit that has immediate and tangible use in economics, business, law, sociology, biology, computer science, etc. This course is at the introductory level and covers the fundamentals of game theory. We will pay particular attention to applications in business and economics. By the end of the course you should gain a clear, concrete, and applicable way of thinking about decision making in strategic environments.

Principles of Microeconomics (73-102):

The goal of this course is to provide a rigorous framework for understanding modern microeconomics. The study of microeconomics will be divided in two fronts: theory and data. We will use graphical and analytic models to explore the decision-making behaviors of individuals and firms, how they interact to form markets, and how those markets respond to various forms of regulation. After taking this course, students are expected to be familiarized with the tools of economic analysis and to apply such tools to current economic issues, public policies, and everyday life.