Nobel laureate Professor Sir James Mirrlees supervises a UM PhD dissertation
Zhuo Shuaihe, a PhD student from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM), recently completed his dissertation under the supervision of Professor Sir James Mirrlees, a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from UM. ‘I feel very lucky to be a PhD student at UM. It is very exciting to study here,’ says Zhuo. The dissertation, titled ‘Labor Reallocation, Migration and Productivity Growth in China’, explores the Chinese labor market theoretically and empirically and proposes labour market models that can be served as practical tools for policy implications. ‘Prof Mirrlees has put lots of effort into my dissertation since the very beginning. He cleared doubts about the theme of my PhD project and shed light on how to do an in-depth analysis,’ said Zhuo after his oral defense. ‘Prof Mirrlees’ profound knowledge in mathematics has inspired me a lot and I enjoyed the whole research process. He was always resourceful and helpful whenever I had problems in deriving complicated models. He has read my text many times and even polished it word by word. His comments were very critical and constructive. What impressed me the most is his creative thinking skills in the field of economics. I am very thankful for all he has done for my dissertation.’ ‘I feel very lucky to be a PhD student at UM. It is very exciting to study here, and my experiences can be summed up as follows: First, the PhD studentship and research grant at UM are generous enough to support me through the whole programme. Second, UM’s faculty members offer excellent coursework. I have benefited a lot from the teaching of my teachers, including my co-supervisor Dr Kwan Fung. Third, the facilities on the campus are excellent and the campus life is quite enjoyable. Lastly, the students at UM are very nice. I have made lots of friends and we always learn together,’ Zhuo added.