George R . Zodrow Workshop Award
The George R . Zodrow Workshop Award recognizes the student with the best performance in a workshop . The 2021 winner is Mingzi Niu .
Mingzi Niu is a third-year economic Ph . D . candidate at Rice University . She is from China , and her research interests are in microeconomic theory , with a focus on mechanism design , information theory , and behavioral economics , including their applications in algorithm fairness and household finance . She is devoted to analyzing the individual decision-making process and interpersonal interactions . She hopes that a better understanding of human choice can facilitate informed policy making , promote social equity , and alleviate poverty .
Timothy and Katharine Gunning Third-Year Paper Award
Mingzi Niu
The Timothy and Katharine Gunning Third-Year Paper Award recognizes the student with the best third-year research paper . The 2021 winners are Omer Sozbir and Marcos Lee .
Omer Sozbir
Omer Sozbir is a 4th year PhD student in Economics at Rice . Previously , he studied at Bogazici University and the London School of Economics . He also worked for Turk Eximbank , the export credit bank of Turkey , for a year before joining the PhD program at Rice . His research interests are in applied microeconomics , family economics , and economic development . Currently he is working on several projects examining children ’ s well-being , intra-household inequality , and marriage markets in developing countries .
Marcos Lee is a 4th year PhD Student in Economics and a Research Assistant at the Texas Policy Lab . His research focuses on human capital formation in children and how to improve public policies in education .
Marcos Lee
Jennifer and Purvez Captain Dissertation Award
The Jennifer and Purvez Captain Dissertation Award recognizes the student with the most outstanding Economics dissertation . The 2021 winner is Daniel Prudencio .
Daniel Prudencio
Daniel Prudencio completed his Ph . D . in May 2021 . In the fall of 2021 , he will join Tecnológico de Monterrey as an assistant professor in the economics department . Daniel ’ s research focuses on the economics of education , and on the intersection of applied industrial organization and development economics . In the latter area , he has studied how local governments in Mexico allocate street pavement contracts when they exercise greater discretion over the hiring practices of the firms that bid on the contracts . His education research focuses on the importance of socio-emotional skills in child development , the development of student educational choices and aspirations , and the impact of the international child sponsorship program , Compassion International , on educational outcomes .
Rice University 2021 Commencement 5