Why were you interested in IFN?
"I wanted to check out the world of research. To see if I liked it and if so, what do I want to do within this realm, Hedda Nielsen replies, laughingly adding that she has not been discouraged!" says Hedda Nielsen, adding that "at IFN, I've learned a lot about data and data processing, which is vital to know. And I have gained respect for how much work this means."
Hedda Nielsen explains that at IFN, she has also won insight into many different research areas since the researchers at the institute study a wide range of topics. "It's about everything from corporate conditions to health care, and is very exciting!"
Her master's thesis was about how competition affects risk-taking and how much the participants exert themselves. In the future, she wants to focus on behavioral economics in a combination of experiments and microdata. Examples of topics she mentions are the labor market, physical condition, and gender equality.
What convinced you that doctoral studies are the right thing?
"I have realized that there are lots of different personalities among researchers. At the universities where I previously studied - Stockholm School of Economics, Science Po in Paris and Berkeley in the US - I met many people who think they know everything."
At IFN, she explains, she has been given a more nuanced picture of the research process and researchers. And she has realized that despite being high-performing, you don't need to know everything as different skills complement each other.
Why Berlin?
"It will be fun to experience the environment there and gain an insight into the German university system. And even though the subject of economics is the same everywhere, there is a myriad of data and different issues that interest people in different countries", says Hedda Nielsen, who looks forward to starting the semester in Berlin on October 1.