"I was here on exchange during my bachelor’s degree in Russia. And I loved it! That’s when my research interests were born."
Denis Utochkin
Motivated PhD newcomers
This autumn 21 new PhD research scholars have enrolled at NHH, eager to embark on the three or four year journey that lies ahead of them.
About half of the newcomers have international backgrounds. Why did they choose NHH for their PhD?
What they have in common is a desire to learn more, to explore new ideas, they enjoy innovating and wish to develop intriguing insights in the field of economics and business administration.
Environmental economics
American Kim Oshikoji’s has both a master’s degree and a CEMS Master’s in Management degree from NHH.
“In my opinion, NHH is one of the best universities in the world”, states Oshikoji. “As a student I was very impressed by the lecturers at NHH, such as Linda Rud, Einar Hope, Gunnar Eskeland and Leif Sandal. They are just phenomenal leaders in their research fields”.
Oshikoji says that he loves being in Bergen and Norway, right in the heart of the historical heritage of oil, shipping and fisheries. “The economy from these industries has been vital in shaping academia in Bergen. Studying this at NHH gives a unique view”, he says.
Oshikoji’s research interests are in environmental economics, sustainability and bioeconomics and the economics of uncertainty. He is at the Department of Business and Management Science, and Leif Sandal is his supervisor.
Organisational change
Norwegian Inghild Härström, took her master’s at Copenhagen Business School. She is doing an industrial PhD funded by the Municipality of Bergen and the Research Council of Norway.
“I want to take my PhD at NHH because it’s one of the best business schools. I also study change process in Bergen Municipality and NHH was a natural choice for me”.
Härström is interested in organisational change in the public sector, and the Department of Strategy and Management is where she will have her workplace, shared with her office at Bergen Municipality. Her supervisor is Christine Meyer.
Consumer communities
Denis Utochkin from Russia, holds his master’s degree from NHH. “I was here on exchange during my bachelor’s degree in Russia”, he says. “And I loved it! That’s when my research interests were born. Not only did I fall in love with the NHH and the country, I also took Ingeborg Kleppe’s Social Media Marketing Research course (now: Collaborative Economy ), which ignited my fascination with online consumer communities – a research interest I still maintain today.”
The big eye opener for Utochkin during his MSc at NHH was Ivan Belik’s course Applied Programming and Data Analysis for Business. “That course was instrumental in helping me develop my methodological preferences and is the reason for why I am at NHH today”, Utochkin explains.
Online consumer economics in the fintech sector and crowdfunding to be specific are Utochkin’s research interests. He’s based at the Department of Strategy and Management. Ingeborg Kleppe is his supervisor. “The only drawback in Bergen is the weather. But I did swim in the ocean here this summer”, he adds proudly.
Employment and unemployment
René Karadakic from Austria holds his master’s from Uppsala University. He was certain about where he wanted to pursue his PhD:
“NHH was my first choice. The funding system is amazing”, he says.
Karadakic is connected to the Department of Economics as his research interests are macroeconomics and more specifically employment and unemployment across countries.
Asset pricing
Rabia Masood from Pakistan majored in Finance at NHH. She really likes the city of Bergen, the people at NHH are great, and the information she got about the PhD programme at NHH convinced her to apply. So did her supervisor at the time, Francisco Santos, and also Tommy Stamland.
Masood’s research interests are asset pricing and investor behaviour and she is at the Department of Business and Management Science. Malin Arve is her supervisor.
The new PhD research fellows are:
ACCOUNTING, AUDITING AND LAW
- Hussnain Bashir, Pakistan, master's from NHH,
- Andreas Ulfsten, Norway, master's from NHH
- Ibrahim Pelja, Norway, master's from NHH
- Mikael Lund, Norway, master's from NHH
- Saad Bin Anis, Pakistan, master's from NHH
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
- Atle Haugen, Norway, master's from NHH
- Rabia Masood, Pakistan
- André Sjuve, Norway, master's from NHH
- Kim Oshikoji, US, master's from NHH
- Henrik Svensli, Norway, master's from University of Oslo
- Gabriel Fuentes Lezcano, Panama, master's from Georgia Institute of Technology and World Maritime University
ECONOMICS
- Eirik Berger, Norway, master's from NHH
- Alessandro Pizzigolotto, Italy, master's from Università di Padova
- René Karadakic, Austria, master's from Uppsala University
- Arne Nasgowitz, Germany, master's from Ruhr University Bochum
- Pablo Ignacio Soto Mota, Mexico, master's from El Colegio de México
STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT
- Marius Jones, Norway, master's from NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Minh Trung Tran Dac, US, master's from Harvard University
- Inghild Härström, Norway, master's from CBS
- Denis Utochkin, Russia, master's from NHH
- Justin Harlan, US, master's from NHH
Read article about new PhD research scholars 2017
26 new PhD research scholars
As many as 26 new PhD research scholars from all over the world have taken up their studies at NHH since last winter, the majority of them starting these days.