The Student Support Fund was created to attract talented students to CERGE-EI and enable them to focus fully on their studies. In 2019, two students became the first recipients of the Alumni Excellence Fellowship—one of them was Maksim, who is now completing the PhD program and entering the international academic job market.
Five years later, we look back at what the Fellowship meant for him, how it shaped his development at CERGE-EI, and why alumni support continues to play a crucial role for future generations.
Maksim specializes in econometrics, focusing on instrumental variables, dimension asymptotics, and causal inference. His job market paper introduces a simple new test for detecting unobserved treatment effect heterogeneity in IV models, helping researchers assess when conventional 2SLS estimates are truly policy-relevant. The method also offers clearer guidance for policymakers on when 2SLS-based conclusions can be trusted for policy design. For this work, he received 2nd place in the 2025 Czech Economic Society’s Young Economist of the Year competition.
You were one of the first two students supported by the Student Support Fund in 2019. How has the Alumni Excellence Fellowship impacted your studies and life at CERGE-EI?
When I learned I had been selected for the Alumni Excellence Fellowship, I felt genuinely happy and inspired. It meant I could fully focus on my studies and make the most of my first year in the program. Thanks to the Fellowship, I was able to dedicate more time to the core PhD material and build a solid foundation for the quantitative research I do now.
I was honored to receive the Fellowship again in my second year. This continuity allowed me to stay focused and enter the dissertation stage with a strong set of skills and confidence.
Now, five years later, you are on the academic job market. How do you see yourself building on what you started here in the next stage of your career?
As I enter the job market, I feel confident moving forward and developing the research path I started during my PhD. The strong foundational training and broad research outlook that CERGE-EI encourages provide a meaningful boost for the next stage of my academic career.
What makes CERGE-EI special in your eyes?
The opportunities available to students at CERGE-EI can shape a unique academic trajectory. Student mobilities, research stays, and conference participation are important parts of the experience. Combined with rigorous training, these opportunities create an excellent environment for professional growth.
What message would you share with alumni who are considering contributing to the Student Support Fund to assist future students?
I am grateful to alumni and supporters for their help. Their support made a significant difference in my studies and research. I hope future students will also have the chance to benefit from this assistance and bring even greater success to the CERGE-EI community.
