{"id":161062,"date":"2023-11-09T15:32:50","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T14:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=161062"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:03","slug":"nobel-prize-winner-guido-imbens-advises-phd-candidates-ask-questions-when-you-dont-know-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/11\/09\/nobel-prize-winner-guido-imbens-advises-phd-candidates-ask-questions-when-you-dont-know-something\/","title":{"rendered":"Nobel Prize winner Guido Imbens advises PhD candidates: \u2018Ask questions when you don\u2019t know something\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guido Imbens, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics, received an honorary doctorate during the Dies Natalis celebration. Prior to the ceremony, he engaged in a conversation with PhD candidates who had many questions: \u201cDoes the fame of winning a Nobel Prize overshadow your actual research?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Guido Imbens had a lot of advice for the attending PhD candidates. Recurring theme: the challenges of interdisciplinary research.<\/span><\/p>

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\u201cWhen do you ever get the chance to speak to a Nobel Prize winner?\u201d Koen de Nijs was one of the 25 PhD candidates who seized the opportunity to talk to Guido Imbens. In 2021, Imbens, along with Joshua Angrist and David Card, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on using natural experiments to explain causal relationships. Imbens\u2019 academic career began at EUR. On Wednesday, during the celebration of the university\u2019s Dies Natalis, he was awarded an honorary doctorate.<\/p>\n

When Imbens was asked beforehand what he wanted to do on this mostly ceremonial day, he himself suggested talking to PhD candidates. And within no time at all, the event, dubbed From beginner to Nobel Prize winner, <\/em>was booked to capacity.<\/p>\n

Right place<\/h2>

PhD candidates from all corners of the campus trickled into the Education Lab of the Polak Building on Wednesday morning. They eagerly discussed the questions they wanted to ask Imbens while attempting to enjoy the small green pastries EUR had laid on in celebration of its 110th anniversary standing up.<\/p>\n

Despite his busy schedule, Imbens entered the room in a relaxed mood. \u201cI spent a lot of time in the Tinbergen Building as a student. Of course, many buildings have been added since, but it still feels familiar\u201d, Imbens said. \u201cI\u2019m quite happy to be awarded this honorary doctorate, because I didn\u2019t actually graduate from here. Now, after forty years, I can finally say that I\u2019ve completed my studies at EUR. I do hope today\u2019s students can manage that a bit more quickly\u201d, he joked.<\/p>\n

As the session began, Imbens tried to reassure the PhD candidates. He stressed that they did not have to be intimidated by his status as a Nobel Prize winner. \u201cI was just in the right place at the right time\u201d, he said modestly. We largely have Imbens\u2019 old economics teacher to thank for the fact that EUR was the starting point of his academic career. \u201cHe showed me a book by Jan Tinbergen, one that I thought was incredibly interesting. So I never looked any further than Rotterdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making sense of the world<\/h2>

Looking back, Imbens realised that he could have gotten more out of his time at EUR. He emphasised the importance of asking questions and admitting when you do not know things. \u201cI remember taking a course on money markets. After the examination, my fellow students and I still didn\u2019t know what bonds were, and I never asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Imbens, that was a shortcoming of the Econometrics programme at the time. \u201cIt didn\u2019t help me make sense of the world, but seemed more focused on mathematical cleverness. Now, I\u2019m convinced that our work should be motivated by real societal issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PhD candidates listen to Guido Imbens.<\/span><\/p>

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A Nobel Prize winner\u2019s advice<\/h2>

After his Bachelor\u2019s programme, Imbens left Rotterdam for the University of Hull, where he obtained his Master\u2019s degree. He then pursued his doctorate at Brown University in the United States. Currently, he is affiliated with Stanford University. \u201cI found the doctoral process challenging\u201d, Imbens said when asked about his own PhD experience. \u201cI even applied for a job at a bank, outside the academic world, but they didn\u2019t even invite me for an interview. So I just continued with my research.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PhD candidates did not hesitate to ask questions. They sought advice and tips on standing out as an economist in a competitive international labour market, staying motivated, maintaining a good work-life balance and dealing with the challenges of interdisciplinary research. Especially the latter was a recurring theme. According to Imbens, interdisciplinary work is essential if we want to address current societal issues. \u201cFor example, I see leaders of large tech companies talking much more easily with people outside their field. Academics can learn from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fame<\/h2>

\u201cDoes the fame of winning a Nobel Prize overshadow your actual research?\u201d, one PhD candidate asked. \u201cNot so much at a place like Stanford, where many of my colleagues have their own important awards to their name\u201d, Imbens said nonchalantly. \u201cBesides, the work itself doesn\u2019t change after winning a prize like that. The mathematics are still the same, as is the interaction with students.\u201d Still, there are things that have changed, said Imbens. \u201cI\u2019ve become more of a public person, which I can turn to my advantage for outreach. For example, I go to high schools to talk about what economics is all about. That\u2019s my way of giving back to my field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afterwards, Imbens quickly disappeared to his next appointment. A group of lingering PhD candidates from ESHPM excitedly discussed the conversation. They found it refreshing that Imbens was so honest about his struggles as a researcher. PhD candidate Prithviraj Basu Mallik was inspired. \u201cMy takeaway from this conversation is that I should never feel like I can\u2019t ask questions. Now I sometimes feel like I don\u2019t want to bother my supervisor. From now on, I won\u2019t be holding back any more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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