Prof. Denise Fletcher, head of the FDEF Research Committee, spoke to a full house on 5 March 2025, welcoming around 60 professors, PhD students, postdocs, and research scientists to the annual FDEF Research Awards event.
The 2025 edition, which celebrates research and individual accomplishments from 2024, broke from previous formats. With a spotlight on early career researchers (academics having completed their PhD with the last 7 years), Prof. Fletcher spoke about how the Faculty can assist and encourage young researchers. Acknowledging that the Faculty is a “stepping stone” for these postdocs and research scientists, she emphasised the need for a nurturing environment that helps to build confidence through providing opportunities for network building, knowledge dissemination and mentoring. The floor was then opened for a series of pitch presentations by postdocs.
-
Dr. Elisabeth Kempter from the Department of Economics and Management (DEM) presented the research that she is carrying out with Professors Luisito Bertinelli and Arnaud Bourgain into the effect of cash crop price shocks on migration intentions in rural Africa.
-
From the Luxembourg Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LCL) within the DEM, Dr. Matteo Cosmi explained his research which seeks to find if the increasing consumer demand for products with low carbon footprints has a positive impact on reducing overall emissions.
-
The audience then heard from Dr. Sanjana Goreeba who is studying the evolution of modern employment at the DEM. In her research, Dr. Goreeba asks the question “what is a good job?” and identifies the factors that are shaping employment conditions, ideals and expectations.
-
Rounding out the group, Dr. Salomé Lannier from the Department of Law took to the stage to speak about her research which looks at legal studies through a feminist lens. Dr. Lannier reminded the audience that “research can stem from anger and frustration.”
Senior researchers tell their stories
The event also gathered a panel of senior researchers from each department including Prof. Mahulena Hofmann, Prof. Tibor Neugebauer and Prof. Andreas Irmen to reflect on their career journeys and offer a few words of wisdom to the next generation. Speaking from personal experience, Prof. Hofmann explained that “a failure can lead to a success” as she told the audience how a failed pilot exam led to her discovery of space and telecommunications law when she continued to volunteer in the library of her aviation club.
Prof. Neugebauer stressed how essential it is to “do what you enjoy” saying that “you have to be excited” in order to defend your work. Prof. Neugebauer also implored the young researchers to build a network and expose themselves to an audience as early as possible.
When it was time for Prof. Irmen to speak, his message was “take risks and find your own way.” Prof. Irmen told the story of how he found his PhD topic and thesis adviser after a serendipitous encounter at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. With an academic background in Industrial Organisation, Prof. Irmen followed his interests, leading him to macroeconomics and endogenous growth theory, which he studies today. All professors agreed that the keys to success lie in passion, personal and professional networks and risk-taking.
Excellence in doctoral studies
Each year, the Faculty awards a PhD candidate from each department, singling them out for the quality of their research, academic performance, recognition and knowledge dissemination.
This year the awards went to:
Raian Kudashev, Department of Economic and Management, whose thesis, supervised by Prof. Pierre Picard seeks to answer questions of local importance for Luxembourg, such as housing concerns, by employing structural urban modeling methods.
Kalliopi Terzidou, Department of Law, who is studying the use of artificial intelligence in judicial administration under Prof. André Prüm.
Azamat Devonaev, Department of Finance, who is looking at the efficiency of financial contracts and managerial compensation along with supervisor Prof. Roberto Steri.
The winning PhD candidates received an engraved trophy as well as a EUR 3,000 grant to be used to help pursue their research. Past winners have used the grant to attend international conferences, purchase data or pay for expenses related to thesis publishing.
Outstanding research from Postdocs and Research Scientists
A second category of awards was also presented, based on a recently submitted paper by an early career researcher.
The winners of the Early Career Researcher Award were:
Dr. Cagil Kocyigit, Department of Economics and Management, Luxembourg Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, for “Distributionally Robust Optimal Allocation with Costly Verification” in Operations Research.
Dr. Lorenzo Bernardini, Department of Law, for Criminalising the Violation of EU Restrictive Measures: Towards (Dis)Proportionate Punishments vis-à-vis Natural Persons?” in European Criminal Law Review.
Dr. Nora Paulus, Department of Finance, for “Collective bargaining about corporate social responsibility” in the Canadian Journal of Economics.
The winners also received an engraved trophy, as well as a grant of EUR 5,000 to fund current and future research.
Boosting research at the FDEF
To conclude, Prof. Fletcher took to the stage again, revealing that in 2024, external research funding at the FDEF totaled over 5.3 million euros and included a varied list of national and European funding instruments. Prof. Fletcher also announced new internal schemes to bolster research and dissemination within the faculty, with more details coming soon.
The event ended with a networking cocktail and poster session, providing an extended opportunity for researchers across departments to exchange ideas.
Photo credit: Sophie Margue