"Thanks to the summer institute got to know a bunch of fantastic young economic geographers from around the world, several of whom I'm still in touch with today. Since the summer institute I feel part of the economic geography research community—much more than before. It greatly broadened and deepened my understanding of economic geography. I wouldn't want to have missed it."
Karin Schwiter, PhD, research group leader, Department or Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland
“Being part of the Summer Institute in Economic Geography in Zurich gave me a sense of belonging to a community of economic geographers, a better understanding of how my work fits into the discipline and confidence in knowing how to contribute to the field with my work. I have kept in touch with many of the people I met and have co-organised several sessions at international conferences since with several people, and we still do support each other. The opportunity to spend a whole week with an international group of people was priceless in establishing a mutual appreciation of our work and the building blocks of life long relationships. Please keep organising it!”
Ralitsa Hiteva, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit and Sussex Energy Group, University of Sussex, UK
“SEIG spurs new conversations and collaborations between scholars working across a wide range of topics in economic geography. As an early-career faculty it allowed me to better situate my work in the field and inspired future research directions.”
Stephen Young, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“I had the opportunity to attend the Economic Geography Summer Institute in Zurich in 2012. The opportunity was perfectly timed for me as I was about to embark on my dissertation fieldwork in the Fall of that year. First of all, without the financial aid the Institute provided, it would not have been possible for me to attend and I am grateful to the organisers for making that happen for me. The Institute was very well organised and reflected the hard work that went into it by the organisers as well as the hosts. The faculty represented a whole range of perspectives within the field of economic geography. Their talks at the Institute not only provided a great history of the diverse set of past and ongoing research in the field but also provided an insight into the new and cutting edge theoretical explorations being engaged in. Personal one-on-one discussions with the faculty also allowed me to better focus and contextualize the research questions I was about to examine in my own work. Aside from theoretical engagements in economic geography, the discussions also focused on other interesting issues such as practical applications in policy, negotiating the precarious job market, and academic writing and publishing.”
Aman Luthra, doctoral researcher, Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
“It was an honor to participate in the Summer Institute in Economic Geography in Zurich! I have never thought that I could communicate face-to-face with those big names printed inside the top journals of economic geography. Over the years, the summer institute has built a bridge between western and non-western economic geographers, allowing me and other young participants have the precious chance to introduce our work. Most of all, I have built solid friendships with some young scholars with shared research interests, with continuing benefits for me. With best wishes for the future of our Summer Institute in Economic Geography!”
Juncheng Dai, PhD, Lecturer, Cultural Economics Research Institute, Central University of Finance and Economics, China