OUR PHD COMMUNITY • 53
OUR PHD COMMUNITY The PhD is the highest academic degree, and as such Durham graduates are in demand for academic posts in leading universities and top business schools, for business and management consultancy in commerce and industry and for senior management roles in private sector organisations and government institutions. Whatever an individual’s goals, the Durham PhD provides students with the opportunity to combine rigorous
Gabriel Plata 1st year PhD student from Colombia My Bachelors degree is in Government and International Affairs from Universidad Externado in Colombia. I completed an MSc in International Business at the University of Birmingham, UK. My research interests deal with the way institutions affect business creation on different levels and contexts. One important aspect is that my research looks for a real impact on policy-making and real-life applicability. I am sponsored by a joint effort initiative created by a group of public institutions in Colombia, the COLCIENCIAS (the Colombian Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation) and ICETEX (Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad). I chose Durham University Business School to study my PhD because of the diversity, people coming from different academic backgrounds and from different regions around the world. This results in a multidisciplinary context that helps you build a deep understanding of the globalised world and its challenges. The School has a great team of worldknown researchers in my subject, and my supervisors are experts in their fields. Durham University Business School is an important player with proven impact on the region’s social and economic development.
academic theory with research to influence the world of business and make a unique contribution in a field of study. The School has a vibrant research community with 180 PhD students at various stages of the doctorate journey. To give you a feel of the breadth and range of activity, some of our current PhD students have shared their experiences with us.
Kojo N. Oduro 3rd year PhD student from Ghana My Masters and Bachelors qualifications in Monetary Economics are from the London School of Economics, and I also have a Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. I’m undertaking a PhD in Accountancy researching into integrated public financial management reforms in developing countries, using Ghana as a case study. The research looks at how accounting practices emerge, are maintained, and transformed in the Government of Ghana through financial management reforms. At this stage the story line of my research appears to be leading to a substantive theory on budget credibility as a core category of public financial management reforms. Without credible budgeting, it is impossible to have consistent. The best thing about doing my PhD has been being able to re-discover an academic passion, after years of being engaged as a consulting practitioner, and the possibilities of bringing new insights to the field. After graduation I want to extend my public financial management consulting practice into action research and executive education.
Yang Zhang Durham PhD graduate from China Before starting my PhD study in Durham, I worked as a full-time trust fund manager in Shandong International Trust Corporation Ltd. My PhD in Finance looked at Risk Management and Asset Pricing with High Frequency Equity Option Panels with a thesis focused on examining the information gained from option markets for risk management and asset pricing in the stock market. I had an amazing time doing my PhD and have developed a solid knowledge in my research field, equipping myself with a lot of quantitative skills that helped me to find my post-doc position after graduating. The research centres provide students with a very supportive research environment, such as holding various research seminars or workshops and conferences during the summer/winter break. Those events provided the students the chances to exhibit their research and seek collaboration opportunities with scholars from world-wide leading institutions. I am currently a post-doctoral research fellow at Kellogg School of Management in Northwestern University in the United States. I hope to pursue my career in academic institutions in the United States or the United Kingdom, or work as a financial economic researcher in a policy-making department.
