Joel is a research economist working at the Microeconomics Unit at the Competition & Markets Authority. The CMA is a growing research unit, working on a wide range of topics including market power, firm dynamics, productivity, labour markets, innovation, and applied microeconometrics.
Previously, Joel was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Kent working with Anthony Savagar on scale economies in the UK. He completed his DPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Petr Sedlacek, focusing on automation and firm dynamics.
Tell us about your career after graduating.
I began the MPhil in 2016 and went straight onto the DPhil, submitting in 2021 with a short overlap as a postdoc. I went onto the job market the following winter, with a published solo-authored paper, a British Academy grant, and several working papers. I am a research economist in a new department at the Competition and Markets Authority. We conduct research across different policy areas beyond competition policy, such as firm dynamics, spatial economics, and technological change. It is the perfect intersection of academic research with a policy focus.
Is there anything from your career or personal life which you are particularly proud of?
I started running and cycling at the start of my DPhil, which helped me stay positive during the most challenging moments of the degree. Sometimes I even had good ideas for my research while running! I have subsequently competed in several races, and it’s been an important factor in contributing to a better work-life balance.
What did you most enjoy about your time studying economics at Oxford?
My favourite class was macro-labour, jointly taught by Gabriel Ulyssea and my supervisor Petr Sedláček. It was fantastic to have two lecturers working at the frontier of the literature, and they gave different – but complementary – perspectives. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the trade class taught by the late Peter Neary.
Overall, my positive experience was driven by a fantastic cohort of smart, thoughtful peers, and the opportunity to live in a vibrant and special city. I am lucky enough to have friends from Oxford who are scattered around the globe, working in a variety of interesting fields.
How has your degree contributed to your career success?
I use the technical skills I honed during my degrees every day. Beyond that, my economic intuition was built over almost a decade, three economics degrees at Oxford, and the tutoring of undergraduates. This intuition is critical for formulating research ideas, mentoring junior economists, and communicating to academics and policymakers.
How did Oxford influence you and your career choice?
I was motivated to follow an academic route by a combination of the impressive role models at Oxford and the type of thinking I had to engage in during my degrees. However, many DPhil candidates in economics go on to work as researchers in policy institutions, and their positive experiences (e.g. at the Bank of England) encouraged me to consider non-university routes.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career to date, and did your degree prepare you for the professional world?
The academic job market was challenging, but I feel the Oxford economics department did well to prepare me for this challenge, even though I was technically at another department for my postdoc at the time. From the start of the DPhil, we were trained to think about what makes a good job market paper, and to start planning our own.
Do you have any advice for someone considering an economics degree at Oxford?
Think carefully what you want to get out of the degree, and continually evaluate whether you are taking the right steps to achieve your goals. An economics degree at Oxford can open many doors, but most importantly you get time and respect from brilliant economists. Take advantage of it! Speak to professors regularly, constantly ask questions, engage with external speakers – you don’t get this opportunity often in life.
What are three aspects of your time at Oxford that you value the most?
Teaching smart undergraduates, to bolster my understanding of core economic theory.
Engaging with non-economists and explaining my research to them.
Living in such a beautiful place.
