Freshman class

Strength in numbers

Karim Chalak, assistant professor of economics

Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Representative publication: "Independence and Conditional Independence in Causal Systems," a University of California, San Diego, Department of Economics Discussion Paper

My current research interests include econometric theory, applied econometrics, and causal inference. In non-experimental sciences, a researcher often seeks to infer from observational data whether certain statistical associations have causal meaning. In my research, I suggest mathematical methods that could enable researchers to perform such causal inference. In particular, my research focuses on the definition, modeling, identification, and estimation of causal effects. The methods I propose are applicable for research in a variety of fields such as labor economics, policy evaluation, and experimental economics, for example.

I became interested and decided to major in economics when I was finishing high school. I decided to pursue my graduate studies and an academic career researching and teaching econometrics because it permits me to study social phenomena in a rigorous mathematical fashion.