Feeling limitless: Becoming an economics professor

Education and AcademiaLeadership and Government
Written By Stuart McNish

Guest: Laura Alfaro (w/ Harvard business professor and economist)

Dr. Laura Alfaro is a professor and economist at Harvard Business School, which means balancing research, teaching, and meeting with faculty and other experts in the field. This has been the career she has always wanted from a young age, which she admits is “bizarre.” Her father being an economist helped, as well as the trend in her home country of Costa Rica of powerful politicians coming from the field of economics.

When she arrived in the United States, she discovered that there can be a career in academia, which was not a viable career in Costa Rica. And with the economic shifts surrounding her own country at the time and with an attitude of “limitless” potential instilled into her at a young age, it paved the way for her future experiences in politics, economics, and life.

Watch more episodes
Knowledge translation in creating documentaries
Knowledge translation in creating documentaries

What does Maureen Palmer do? Having many roles, it was hard to answer that question, until her daughter came up with an apt description – “knowledge translation.” And as a creator of documentaries which take time to make, that knowledge translation has to anticipate what the public wants to talk about months from now. To her, this is key to being successful and a big reason to keep her eyes and ears open.

Read More →
Being a US ambassador: More than just diplomacy
Being a US ambassador: More than just diplomacy

How does one become an ambassador? For US ambassador to Canada David Cohen, it depends on what kind of ambassador you are – and yes, there are different types. And there is more to being an ambassador than simply diplomacy; it is also about maintaining a high-morale team that is proud to represent the United States and facilitate trade between American and Canadian companies.

Read More →
Researching cancer and making use of discoveries
Researching cancer and making use of discoveries

Dr. Sam Aparicio of BC Cancer, studying medicine was always the plan, but research became his passion. Unbeknownst to him, research also involves many skills that didn’t expect, such as grant-writing, which he had to learn along the way. This led him down other side pathways, such as starting a biotech company to commercialize some of the findings in the genomics field.

Read More →
From geology to public affairs: Shifting a career
From geology to public affairs: Shifting a career

Every day is different for Allison Macfarlane – and she would have it no other way. Despite her position as a director of a public policy affairs faculty, her journey didn’t start there – in fact, her education moved her to places like the Himalayas, Ecuador, Greece, and more. Her decision to change fields from science led to a chance meeting, which fuelled a shift towards public policy; she hasn’t looked back since.

Read More →
Stuart McNish
Previous

Keeping an open mind: Succeeding in the pharmaceutical industry
Next

The passion for paramedics to be treated fairly