The Academic Trajectory to Reach the Doctoral Program in New York

During her time at FEN, Francine Montecinos had the opportunity to work with faculty members such as Dante Contreras, Fabián Duarte, Damian Clarke, and Nicolás Grau, with whom she was able to develop various academic interests. As she herself acknowledges, what truly sparked her interest in applied research —especially on gender issues— was her work as a teaching assistant for Econometrics for Professor Valentina Paredes and Professor Damian Clarke. She also supported Professor Clarke on the paper The Economics of Abortion Policy, and identifies this specific experience as decisive in her decision to pursue research.

Life in New York

Before starting her doctoral studies, she was part of Columbia University’s pre-doctoral research staff. During that period, her work focused on two areas: with Professor Sebastián Otero, she addressed topics in the economics of education (such as inclusion policies in university admissions), and with Professor Noémie Pinardon-Touati, she conducted research on macroeconomics, energy, and corporate performance. In this way, she was able to get involved in very diverse projects that allowed her to combine the use of reduced-form evidence through quasi-experimental variations with structural models that help connect data with a theoretical framework.

The predoctorate proved to be a solid foundation for making the leap to the PhD program at Columbia University itself. At present, Francine is taking her first year in the PhD program in Economics at this prestigious university in New York, the city that has welcomed her for the past two years and where she feels very comfortable. In this new stage, she hopes to develop research that provides evidence to guide the design of public policies aimed at improving people’s quality of life.

The FEN Experience

When evaluating the academic training received at FEN in relation to the demands she is facing now, the economist highlights: “Working with Professors Dante Contreras and Damian Clarke was key to my admission into top-tier programs, and I am very grateful for their support.”

Likewise, she underscores the importance of the mathematical training acquired in Professor Jorge Rivera’s quantitative methods course; the solidity of the empirical training, especially that delivered by Professors Valentina Paredes and Mariana Zerpa; and the value of working with Damian Clarke, whose books and notes she still consults, particularly regarding the application of causal inference methods. Francine considers that all of them have been fundamental to her current performance.

Regarding her future, the most immediate aspect is the six-years doctoral program. Looking beyond that horizon, she says: “My dream is to become a university professor and do rigorous research that can potentially serve to make Chile and the world a better place”, while ideally maintaining ties with faculty members from FEN and conducting research on Chile.