Jiří has been awarded the Alumni Excellence Fellowship for academic year 2021/2022.
After completing your Master’s in Economic Research, you began a career in London. How would you say your experience at CERGE-EI has shaped your career?
It is safe to say that the impact of my experience at CERGE-EI has been overwhelmingly positive. The in-depth training in econometric methods that I received has been a real asset in my professional life. It gave me the confidence to take up high-profile, specialist roles and lead innovation in DWP analysis, including the transformation of modelling and forecasting methods. I doubt that would have been possible were it not for CERGE-EI.
In your opinion, what makes CERGE-EI unique?
Besides its rigorous technical curriculum and the exposure to frontier economic research, what is unique about CERGE-EI is just how homely and compact the whole institution feels. The faculty-to-student ratio is formidable, allowing high levels of individualized support, as well as many opportunities for early research collaboration. There are few educational institutions in Central Europe that can beat this offer.
As someone coming from a background of socioeconomic disadvantage, the Alumni Excellence Fellowship has made my existence at CERGE-EI much more fruitful. Even though the overall levels of support were still insufficient to cover living expenses, the additional funding allowed me to spend more time studying and working on CERGE-EI research projects than I otherwise would have. If not for alumni support, I am positive that the successful completion of my studies – let alone the engagement in other community activities at CERGE-EI – would have been considerably more difficult.
Why do you believe financial support is crucial for students at CERGE-EI?
No personal experience of the students coming to CERGE-EI is the same. For those who – like me – could not rely on family resources during their studies, though, financial support is an absolute deal breaker. The level of stipends can massively influence the decision of whether to enroll in graduate studies and whether you can thrive academically. For attracting talent from all backgrounds, providing adequate support to its students is absolutely essential in maintaining a culture of academic excellence.
