Amina Syed

I have a PhD in economics from the University of Essex. I am a British national with no visa restrictions in Europe. I am hardworking, resourceful, dedicated and professional in outlook. I have an outgoing personality and am an extremely self-motivated high achiever. I am an ambitious researcher trained in advanced economic theory and econometric techniques, with experience in conducting high quality research in labour economics, search and matching and economic policy. I have highly developed social skills and am able to work well in both team and individual situations. I have a creative, subtle mind and imaginative outlook and can provide imaginative solutions in a wide variety of situations.

I have a strong interest in research in topics of Search and Matching, Labour Economics, Education, Policy, Econometrics, Data Analysis, Taxation and Unemployment.

Edexcel A-Level Examiner

Edexcel International

June 2010 - August 2010

Responsibilities: Marking the examination (Managing The Economy) of A-level economics students.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

University of Essex

October 2008 -

Taught courses: 1st year undergraduate: Methods Of Economic Analysis (Senior GTA).
2nd year undergraduate: Macroeconomics (Intermediate), Microeconomics (Intermediate), Mathematical Methods In Economics (Senior GTA) and Introduction To Econometric Methods.

Responsibilities: Teaching, coordinating teaching timetables, marking tests/final examination papers, rechecking marking to ensure consistency and observing the teaching of other GTAs to ensure the students get a good learning experience.

Internee

Punjab Urban Resource Centre

June 2006 - August 2006

Responsibilities: Conducting a research project on the feasibility of privatisation of the Water and Sanitation Agency in Lahore, Pakistan. Project included field research (through interviews), data collection (from government organisations) and a write up including a policy advisory report summarising the findings.

PhD/Doctorate Economics

University of Essex

October 2008 - September 2015

The thesis contributes to the existing literature by studying the link between educational choices, skill mismatch and wages in a labour market with search frictions with on-the-job search.

In the first paper, I used empirical techniques to look at the link between skill mismatch and wages. I found that over-education and mismatch is part of a career mobility or job-to-job transition in the labour market. Workers accept jobs for which they are overqualified and search on-the-job to move to jobs that are more matched to their educational level. In the process they accept a wage cut which is temporary until they are able to find a job better suited to their level of education.

In the second paper, I used search and matching framework to study the link between on-the-job search and wages in an economy where high and low ability workers compete for jobs. On-the-job search is a way in which workers reduce the extent of mismatch and firms react to this. However, this interaction implies that when more workers try to relocate the friction in the market reduces the efficiency of resource allocation (by increasing mismatch) and it also creates more wage inequality between the different types of workers.

Finally in the third paper, I looked at the link between educational choices, and skill mismatch in a labour market with search frictions. I found that fewer search frictions lead to higher inequality in wages. If the cost of education is low enough, more individuals choose to acquire education and get trained. As a consequence mismatch increases.

Master's Degree Economics

University of Essex

October 2007 - July 2008

Econometric Methods and Applications (Merit), Mathematical Methods (Distinction), Microeconomics (Distinction), Macroeconomics (Merit), Time Series Econometrics (Distinction), Panel Data Methods (Merit), Applications of Data Analysis (Merit), MSc Dissertation (Merit).

Bachelor's Degree Economics

Lahore University of Management Sciences

August 2003 - July 2007

Introduction to Legal Thought (B), Introduction to Computing (B+), Calculus-I (A-), Microeconomics-I (A-), Macroeconomics-I (A-), Communication Skills (A-), Probability (A), Principles of Managing Accounting (B), Econometrics-I (A-), Multivariate Calculus (B+), Linear Algebra (A-), Introduction to History (A-), Islamic Studies (B-), Mechanics (B+), Introduction to Political Science (B-), Perception (A-), Intermediate Microeconomics-II (A-), Intermediate Macroeconomics-II (A), American Government and Politics (B+), Principles of Finance (B+), Theory and History of Economic Development (A-), Monetary Theory and Policy (A-), Ordinary Differential Equations (A-), Islamic Economics (B+), Industrial Organisation (A), Labour Economics (A), History of Economic Thought (A-), Issues of Comparative Economic Development (A), Introduction to Sociology (A-), Introduction to Development Studies (A-), Introduction to Game Theory (A), International Trade (B+), ECON Senior Project (A), Real Analysis-I (B), Econometrics-II (A), Human Behaviour (A), Experimental Game Theory (A), Institutional Economics (B+), Human Memory (A-).

Travelling