New Visiting Scholar Programme in Economics and Finance

New Visiting Scholar Programme in Economics and Finance

A Victoria University alumnus has made a substantial donation to establish a Visiting Scholar Programme at Victoria’s School of Economics and Finance.

Professor Stephen Turnovsky, a distinguished international scholar and researcher in economics, completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Victoria in 1962 and a Masters of Arts with First Class Honours in Mathematics in 1963 before completing a PhD in Economics at Harvard.

“I have been fortunate to have a successful career and for that I owe a great debt to Victoria for the start that it gave me,” Professor Turnovsky says.

“Much of my career has involved joint work, which is how the economics profession has been evolving over the past 20 years or so and which I personally have found very rewarding. So part of my motivation is to facilitate that kind of development at Victoria.

“My hope is that Victoria will bring out interesting scholars from abroad resulting in productive interaction with people here, including collaborative research.”

Professor Morris Altman, Head of the School of Economics and Finance is excited about the research that will come out of the new programme. “The programme will contribute to the enrichment and intensity of research activity in our school,” he says.

The programme has been established through the Victoria University Foundation. The first Stephen Turnovsky Visiting Scholar will take up the position in mid-2012 for a period of one to two months. Funding will cover return airfares, accommodation and other expenses.

About Stephen Turnovsky

Professor Turnovsky has held academic appointments in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as working extensively in a number of other countries. He currently holds the Castor Chair of Economics at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he has been for the past 24 years.

His research focuses on the application of mathematical models and methods to the analysis of economic problems. He has written several books and published extensively in leading international journals.

He has received honorary doctorates, from the University of Aix-Marseille in 2005 and from Victoria in 2009.

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