WiE Volunteers

Virginia leads WiE’s strategic and organisational development. She is responsible for guiding new ideas and activities, coordination of organisational processes and expansion as well as monitoring WiE's mission and impact. Virginia is a PhD candidate at the Berlin School of Economics and DIW Berlin since 2019. Her research covers topics in labour and gender economics. Before her doctoral studies, Virginia gained 3y of experience in economic consulting. In her free time, she enjoys electronic music, playing the piano, judo and running.

Chair of the Board

Larissa is a PhD researcher at the University of Cologne. Dedicated to impactful change, Larissa serves as the Vice Chair of the Board and Website Coordinator. Her research revolves around the labor market, human capital and inequalities of all kind. In her free time she loves to hike, dance and spend time with friends.

Vice Chair of the Board

Jelena is a PhD student at LMU. Her research interests cover public economics, corporate taxation, and family economics. She is a board member at WiE overlooking the events team, and a host of the WiE Podcast. She is a passionate traveler and volunteer who enjoys reading, learning foreign languages, baking, and doing pilates.

Board Member

Clara is a Doctoral Researcher in the Gender Economics Research Group of the Public Economics Department at DIW Berlin and a PhD candidate of the Berlin School of Economics (BSE) and the DIW Graduate Center. She also is a member and lecturer at the Center for Economic Policy Analysis (CEPA / University of Potsdam) and a guest researcher at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). Her main research interests are labour economics, gender and family economics, and economics of discrimination. In her free time, she frequently attends cultural, and especially live music events, enjoys exploring good food around the world and spending time with her friends and family.

Board Member

Sandra is WiE’s Board Member for Outreach and leads the engagement activities of the initiative. She joined WiE in early 2020, with positions as event coordinator and Head of Research. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, where she focused on incentives for decentralisation and support of the energy transition, and now works as an Energy Market Analyst at Siemens Energy. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, running and hiking through nature, doing yoga and travelling.

Board Member

Maria is a Ph.D. Candidate in economics at LMU Munich. Her research in empirical economics focuses on topics in inequality and health. In her free time, she loves hiking, cross-country skiing, yoga, cooking, choir singing, and attending cultural events such as concerts and the theatre.

Head of Finance

Insa works as a researcher at the Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, where she is currently doing her PhD in economics. Her research focuses on adult education with links to other labour market topics. Curious about persisting gender patterns in the labour market, she contributes to WiE’s research team.

Board Member

Antonia is the HR Coordinator at WiE, supporting the other teams through the advertisement, recruitment, and onboarding of new volunteers. She is maintaining oversight of, and contact with, our growing pool of now more than 50 team members. Outside of WiE, Antonia is a PhD candidate in the department for Spatial Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research is at the intersection of Environmental Economics and Trade, in particular the impacts of environmental regulation on firm performance and international competitiveness of sectors. She spends her free time mostly on one of her bikes, counting laps in the pool, learning how to play tennis, or creating new dishes in the kitchen.

HR Coordinator

Sheida is currently an associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her field of research is International Macro and Labour Economics. She is especially interested in the impact of trade and financial integration on the labor market and the policies to mitigate the adverse effects. She is passionate about promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in the field of Economics. She joined the WiE team as a diversity advocate to put her passion for Diversity & Inclusion promotion into action.

Diversity Advocate

Aga Kasperska is a PhD student at the University of Warsaw and a research assistant at the Interdisciplinary Center for Labour Market and Family Dynamics (LabFam). Her research interests lie in the fields of employment, gender and family studies. Aga’s current research explores how the changes in the labour market caused by new technologies affect the conditions of work and the position of women within both the workplace and society at large.

HR

Sahar is a PhD candidate at the Berlin School of Economics (BSoE), focusing on gender equality, mental health and social networks in organizations. Passionate about promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, Sahar contributes to WiE as an HR team member. Outside academia, she works as a data scientist and researcher. She also volunteers as a mentor at Back on Track, supporting immigrant youths with difficult backgrounds. On her free time, she enjoys playing boardgames, singing in a choir, dancing and running, reading books, and watching John Oliver’s episodes.

HR

Veerangna is a Research Assistant in Public Policy at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government. She has a Master's degree in Development Economics from the University of Göttingen in Germany and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women in India. She has extensive expertise through her work with many organisations in India and Germany, including the Planning Commission of India, RWI, Essen, and the University of Göttingen. Her research interests include Development Economics, Economics of Education, Empirical Economics, Gender Economics, and Behavioural Economics. She is highly committed to feminism and also hopes to improve access to and quality of education in low and middle-income countries. Outside of work, she enjoys table tennis, drawing mandalas, playing the piano, cooking, and volunteering (3 years of experience).

Events Organiser

Currently based in Amsterdam and working as an Insights Analyst, Ria considers herself an economic enthusiast. She completed her MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam in 2022 and since then has been deeply interested in the fields of Game Theory and Behavioral Economics. Originally from India, she also completed her bachelor's in Economics and an MA in Public Policy, with an eclectic career ranging from investment banking to startups. In her free time, Ria often tries to develop new leisure skills like learning the keyboard and cooking different cuisines. She joined WiE to help those starting off in the field in ways that she wishes she had received and to widen her network and inspiration within the field.

Event Organiser

Khabiba graduated from the University of Westminster with a Bachelor's degree in Economics with Finance. Currently, she works part-time as a research assistant for a PhD student, delivering data collection, cleaning, and analysis on their dissertation-book project about the effects of forced labor on institutions and societies across Central Asia. In her free time, she enjoys bike tours and mountain hiking. At WiE, Khabiba is part of the Podcasts Team and is eager to learn more about the role of women in the field of economic research.

Podcast Editor

Ishanaa Srinivasan is a high school student with a profound passion for economics and finance. Her diverse experiences, including volunteering, tutoring, and leading student organizations, have honed her leadership and problem-solving skills. With a keen interest in addressing social issues through economic perspectives, she aims to promote gender equality and raise awareness about the field's impact. In her free time, Ishanaa enjoys playing chess, exploring nature and writing articles, further fueling her intellectual curiosity.

Event Organiser

Francesca is a predoctoral fellow in The Broad Center at Yale University, having previously worked as project manager at LEAP - Bocconi University. She studied (MSc) Economics and Philosophy at the London School of Economics and obtained a M2 in Economics at the Paris School of Economics. Passionate about gender dynamics in academia since her feminist economics classes at the University of Vienna, her research interests concern how education can alleviate systemic socioeconomic, racial and gender inequalities.

Events Organiser

Carlota is pursuing a master’s degree in economics and management science at Humboldt University in Berlin. She previously studied political science and international relations in her beloved homeland of Portugal. She is most interested in topics where economics, politics and social aspects have equal relevance, such as political economy and history, and in how to translate that knowledge into real-world solutions.

She’s happiest when she’s singing, having a delicious meal, exploring new ideas or lending someone a hand (extra points if in the company of friends or family). She was very happy to learn that WiE existed and therefore also very happy to support it in bringing together women in a field that suffers with their underrepresentation.

Events Organiser

After finishing her master's in German language and literature/media culture studies at the University of Cologne, Vanessa is now working as a journalist for a local newspaper. During her studies, she also worked for the radio station "Kölncampus," where she learned to host different broadcasts and create short radio reports. As a member of the events team, Vanessa is using that knowledge to do the editing for the Women in Economics podcast. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her friends, travel to new places, go sailing or diving, and do pretty much everything else that involves being outside.

Podcast Editor

Martha is originally from Berlin, Germany and grew up in California. She is currently a research fellow at Harvard for Stefanie Stantcheva. Previously, she graduated with honors in Economics from UC Berkeley and summa cum laude with a Master in International Economic Policy from SciencesPo Paris. She is particularly interested in taxation, tax evasion, inequality, and law. In her free time, she enjoys biking, hiking, and swimming.

Events Organiser

Anushka is currently a junior in high school from the United States and is interested in pursuing economics in future academic and career pathways. She is passionate about providing other students with platforms to explore the field of economics and enjoys getting involved in local economic policy initiatives to learn more about the community around her. In her free time, she loves writing for her local newspaper, playing badminton, and experimenting with new baking recipes.

Events Organiser

Lena is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Bonn. Her economic interests include behavioral economics and finance, as well as health economics. Since the beginning of her studies, she has been an active member of the economics students’ association at Uni Bonn, organizing events and advocating the students’ interests in various bodies. At WiE, she supports the events team.

Events Organiser

Anna-Lena is a PhD student at the University of Mannheim. After completing her Master’s degree in economics, she joined the Center for Doctoral Studies in Business (CDSB) in September 2024. Her research interests lie in the field of sustainable finance. In her free time, she loves playing badminton, gardening, and reading. Anna-Lena has joined The Women in Economics Initiative to promote an inclusive environment in economics degree programs and academic careers.

Events Organiser

Altair is currently working as an IT Analyst in the IT sector. After a two-year traineeship in the European Union Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office, Altair decided to do a Ph.D. in Industrial Economics at the University of Valencia about innovating and patenting activities of European Firms specifically in digitization technologies belonging to the so called Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Fundraising & Grants

Tabea is a Ph.D. Candidate in law and economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She’s passionate about finding solutions for more sustainability in corporate supply chains and studying the effectiveness of existing regulations in this field. In her free time, she loves running, hiking, and skiing, and you also often find her on her yoga mat or in a café with friends or a good book.

Finance Team

Clara is currently in her last semester of studying the Master of Economic Policy at the University of Siegen. Her economic interests include European economics and economic development, and she will complete her master thesis topic on a sustainable EU debt landscape. At WiE, she will assist in the administrative work of the finance team, while in her free time she likes reading, hiking, and singing in a choir.

Finance Team

Cristina currently works as a Coordinator for Corporate Collaborations and Data Science Education at the IFO Institute in Munich. She recently completed her PhD in Economics being part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research team at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. Her research focuses on firm innovation behavior. She believes in the power of mentoring and knowledge sharing, and she has been committed to these goals since early on in her research career. Outside of work, Cristina loves to spend time with her friends over a cup of coffee, discover new music, go to the cinema and occasionally hit the dance floor.

Mentoring Program Manager

Jasmine is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Finance at Goethe University Graduate School of Economics, Finance, and Management (Shorten: GSEFM). Meanwhile, she serves as a Junior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE (Shorten: SAFE) and proudly holds the SAFE Scholarship for the year 2022. In addition to her academic pursuits, Jasmine has taken on the role of a designer and coordinator for the Women in Economics Mentoring Program, a Europe-based non-profit. since 2021. Also, she is a founding figure and board member of Education Without Barriers, a global education non-profit since 2016. Furthermore, she plays an integral role in the organizational committee for the Bonn-Frankfurt-Mannheim PhD Conference (2023-2024).

Mentoring Programme Manager

Wiebke currently works as an evaluator and researcher at the German Institute for Development Evaluation (Deval) in Bonn. She studied Economics (BSc) in Hannover and Bristol and International Development Studies (MSc) at the University of Amsterdam. She also obtained her PhD in Economics from the University of Hannover. Her research focuses on topics related to economic development in Southeast Asia. Wiebke is also a consultant for the World Bank where she works on topics related to adaptive social protection in the Pacific. In her free time Wiebke enjoys cooking and playing music.

Mentoring Programme Manager

Gill currently works as a competition economist. She studied (BSc) Economics & Econometrics at the University of Bristol and obtained a MPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford. Her main interests in Economics are applied microeconomics and econometrics. Her Master’s thesis focused on investigating households’ willingness-to-pay for goods and the variation by demographics. In her free time, Gill enjoys cooking and doing Pilates.

Mentoring Programme Manager

I have been a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Manchester since September 2022. I completed my PhD at Lancaster University in 2014. I am involved in research on applied microeconomics and economic education, with projects on social and cultural impacts in the creative industries. I joined The Women in Economics Initiative to support and inspire women in the field, drawing on my experience and commitment to mentoring.

Mentoring Program Manager

Kate is currently studying towards her MSc in Economics from the University of Edinburgh whilst working at The Fraser of Allander Institute, Glasgow. Her main research interests cover development, health, and gender economics, while her undergraduate thesis explored the relationship between women’s empowerment and economic development through reproductive rights. During the week, she enjoys reading, cooking, and thinking up new recipes for her vegetarian food blog. On the weekends, she loves to see friends, volunteer, and go for long walks with her dogs.

Coordinator

Anastasiia is a Senior Economic Manager in the NHS England, having previously completed a BSc in Economics and MSc in Health Economics and Econometrics. As part of her work, she focuses on economic analysis of the NHS, including productivity analysis and econometric research of waiting times. Anastasiia is also passionate about use of open-source software in healthcare analysis. Outside of work, she is a keen baker and a novice piano player.

Team member

Jenny is a PhD candidate and tutor in Economics at the University of Edinburgh, funded by the Carnegie Trust. Her research interest is macro labour, specifically focusing on the cyclical dynamics of gender inequality. Jenny previously obtained her MSc in Economics from the University of St Andrews, funded by the ECB’s Women in Economics Scholarship. At WiE she is the Country Ambassador for Scotland, and her goal is to create an empowering and inclusive community of female and non-binary economists.

Country Ambassador

Aayushi is currently studying Economics and International Studies at Ohio State University. Her most recent research experience was through the Middlebury Institute of International Studies where she understood the mechanisms of U.S. sanctions and evaluated their effectiveness in curbing global proliferation. She is interested in creating equal representation in the realm of economic foreign policy and emphasizing women’s economic contributions throughout history. In her free time, she enjoys reading, Facetiming friends, and hiking.

Partnership Management & Fundraising

Kaneta recently completed her master’s degree in Economics at LMU Munich. Prior to moving to Germany, she worked in Bangladesh on issues of governance, urban poverty, and social networks. During her graduate studies, she became more interested in gender inequality and wrote her thesis on the impact of Covid-19 through a gender lens. Currently, she is working remotely for PPRC, on issues of urban development and Covid recovery. Kaneta is also a street photographer and is trying to promote more women photographers into the genre.

Research Coordinator

Lepakshi graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. Economics and B.S. Applied and Computational Mathematics. In her most recent role as an Associate Analyst in NERA Economic Consulting, she worked in their antitrust healthcare team to help assess antitrust risks of proposed hospital mergers and acquisitions. Lepakshi is passionate about equitable policy development, and her research interests include inequality, economics of discrimination, and policy analysis. In her free time, she enjoys bullet journaling, wheel throwing, and yoga.

Researcher

Johanna is a Ph.D. student in Economics at the Leibniz institute for economic research Halle. She is interested in drivers of income inequality and thus doing research within the realm of labor economics, the economics of education and gender economics. At WiE, Johanna is part of the research team. In her free time, she likes to do sports such as swimming or running.

Researcher

Qquillaccori is a Ph.D. Research Scholar in Economics at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). Her main research interests are labor economics, social insurance, gender, and the study of inequalities. She is engaged in advocacy both in and outside the university environment, which motivated her to join WiE as part of the Research team. In her free time and when she’s not at the gym, Qquillaccori enjoys dancing, writing, and going to the theatre.

Researcher

Junice holds a master’s and bachelor’s in Economics. While working with the United Nations and the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi, she honed skills in economic analysis, policy formulation and partnerships. During India's G20 presidency, she served as Liaison Officer for the FMCBG and FCBD meetings. Additionally, she was a Teaching Assistant (Economics Area) at the Indian Institute of Management Udaipur.
Junice is passionate about development economics and public policy. As a researcher at WiE, she aims to unravel gender equality trends and advocate for inclusive policies.

Researcher

Dorothee works as a Programme Officer at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. Her work concentrates on European Territorial Cooperation funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Dorothee studied European Business (BA) in Münster and Portsmouth (UK) and International Economics and Economic Policy (MSc) at the University of Frankfurt. She obtained her PhD in Economics from the University of Hannover focussing on topics related to economic development and environmental economics in Southeast Asia.

Researcher

⁠Sara is from Spain and is currently an Economist at Cambridge Econometrics, located in Brussels, where she is part of the Environmental team. Her focus is on on data collection, cleaning, analysis, and developing econometric models. She has a background in Economics, Econometrics, Environmental Economics, and Quantitative Finance from her previous studies in Rotterdam and London. Her career aim is to exert positive and valuable impact on society with her work. As a result, she is part of WiE to contribute her expertise in helping promote gender equality across her field of work. A much needed and challenging objective.

Researcher

⁠Safiyyah is in the final semester of her master’s degree in international economics at the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID). Her research interest lies in the field of development economics, specifically gender, health, and education. Presently, she interns as a Research Assistant at the UN SSE on gender equality. Joining WIE aligns with her interest in gender equality and the desire to connect with like-minded individuals. In her leisure time, she enjoys quality moments with family and friends, alongside her love for cooking.

Researcher

Yashveer is an economics student and a dedicated Research Associate at Flame University. He is passionate about policy research and strives to make government data accessible to public. His focus lies in analyzing critical societal issues and developing effective solutions to address them. Yashveer is particularly enthusiastic about promoting Gender Equality and Inclusion and has a keen interest in Public Finance and the Agrarian Economy. Beyond academics, he is an equestrian and national tennis player.

Researcher

Sophie is a doctoral researcher at the Chair of Empirical Economics at the University of Potsdam. She is a member of the Center for Economic Policy Analysis (CEPA) and her main research interests are labour economics and gender economics. At WiE, she is part of the Research team. In her free time, she likes running, reading and collecting books, and spending time with her family.

Researcher

After finishing the MSc programme “Philosophy & Public Policy” at the LSE, Meike just joined the German publisher “Nomos” as an Editor for humanities. Passionate about Gender Equality, during her studies, she co-hosted a feminist reading group, wrote a feminist column for her university paper, and did a lot of voluntary social media work. Carrying this passion into her working life she now joins the WiE Social Media Team.

Social Media Coordinator

After completing her master in Socio-economics at University of Duisburg-Essen, Marina works in Corporate Responsibility at ALDI Nord where she is engaged in making food supply chains more sustainable. Her interests are in development economics, international value chains and sustainability. Marina is based in Cologne, Germany. In her free time, she likes to cook, read, do several sports and spend time outside with her friends.

Social Media Coordinator

Yannik is currently completing his master’s degree in Socioeconomics at the University Duisburg-Essen. He is especially interested in the fields of inequality in several dimensions; wealth and income distribution and welfare states. Besides from studying, he is following his passion of communications. He has worked in several positions in the field of corporate communications. At WiE he is responsible for all social media related activities.

Social Media Promoter

Evelina is an Economics and Data Analytics undergraduate at ISM University of Management and Economics in Vilnius, Lithuania. Currently interning in Corporate Lending and Credit Process Control, she’s developing her analytical and problem-solving skills. Evelina is passionate about research and analysis and aspires to become a leading specialist in her field. In her free time, she enjoys reading, staying active, baking, and playing the fortepiano. Evelina is excited to join WiE to promote economic literacy and advocate for women's representation in economics.

Social Media Promoter

Edith is a high school student studying in Canada but originally from Hong Kong. She is intending to pursue economics in her post-secondary studies. Having worked for rural schools in China, her interests in economics include development economics, labor economics, and economic growth. She is also an active advocate for gender and racial equality. In her free time, she likes to read, go on runs and connect with her friends.

Website Team

Ambika Sharma is currently a high school student from the United States and is interested in pursuing a career in economics and finance. She is zealous about providing people with a platform to increase awareness and participation in the field of economics. In her free time, she writes for independent news media, plays basketball and swimming badminton, and loves singing, learning and applying new things.

Website Team

Ella is an undergraduate student in her final year at Washington University in St. Louis studying economics and finance. Her academic interests include macroeconomics, behavioral economics, philosophy of economics and the history of economic thought. At WiE, Ella works on content for the editing team and helps coordinate design materials for other various teams. Outside the world of economics, Ella is passionate about sustainable fashion, enjoys attending concerts, and practicing yoga.

Coordinator

Eliana holds a BA in Economics from Durham University and an MSc in Economics from Heidelberg University. After a two-year work experience at the European Central bank doing research on payment behaviour, she is currently a Researcher/PhD student at the RWI-Leibniz Institute in Berlin. She is interested in Gender Economics, Labour Economics, and Applied Microeconomics. Beyond academia, she enjoys trekking, reading, skating, and volunteering. Eliana has joined WiE to connect with like-minded individuals passionate about empowering women in economics

Content

Taylor Schenker is a designer and self-proclaimed data nerd. Academically trained in both Economics and Resilient Urban Design, Taylor uses her experience working in data analysis and graphic representation to produce beautiful graphics that explain complex information. In her free time Taylor enjoys reading, exercising outside, and spending time with her rescue dog Hallie!

Content Creator

Jana is currently an Economics Ph.D. candidate at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, interested in pension economics and gender economics. At WiE she is part of the writing and editing team.

Content

Madalo Kaliwo is a young professional with a Bachelor's degree in social sciences, where she majored in Economics and minored in psychology, from the University of Malawi. She also holds a diploma in Business Management (ABE) from the Malawi College of Accountancy.
Madalo is currently serving as a Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Investment Officer at the Greenbelt Authority, where she applies her knowledge and expertise to support sustainable irrigation initiatives in Malawi.

Content

Malaika is a Master in Economics student at MIT- World Peace University (Pune) hailing from the diversified lands of India. With a passion for economics and studying it for 8 years now, she aspires to undertake research work on the role of technology and finance in gender economics, international markets, and economic development. A love for dance, dogs, and books keep her busy on weekends along with cooking and social volunteering.

Content

Jordan is a British Luxembourgish national with a Master degree in political sciences from University College London. After 5 years of professional experience in public policy and public finance at the European Investment Bank and PwC Luxembourg, Jordan took the entrepreneurial leap and is working as a freelance consultant in the field of sustainability and scale-up advisory. She is passionate about promoting sustainable development and the possibilities degrowth economics has to offer. In her free time you can find her out on (or under!) the ocean, with the plants in the garden, or curled up with a good book

Content

I’m Miru, originally from Romania but living the expat dream for the past 10 years in various European countries (NL, DE, ES, GB). With a multifaceted background spanning academic pursuits in law, global markets and creative industry and hands-on experience in various areas of marketing and community management, I bring a wealth of skills and insights to Women in Economics. My journey includes navigating roles in market research, campaign management, and social media strategy, complemented by international academic experiences.

Content