From NHH to a prestigious postdoc in economics
PhD candidate Paula Navarro Sarmiento has secured a postdoctoral position at CEMFI in Madrid, one of Europe’s top research institutes in economics.
Ideal work-life balance for researchers in Norway
Aysil Emirmahmutoglu arrived at NHH five years ago. `In Norway it is possible both to have a family and full-time job´, says the Associate Professor, originally from Turkey.
Aysil Emirmahmutoglu did her PhD in the Netherlands, at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute. In 2020, she arrived at NHH and the Department of Business and Management Science.
Decision making under uncertainty
Most of Emirmahmutoglu´s research focues on decision-making under uncertainty. However, she has broad interests, and she is currently enthusiastic about her research on the connection between attachment styles and workplace satisfaction.
`As correlational evidence, I find that people with insecure attachment to their partner are less satisfied with their workplace. I will follow up on this evidence with an experiment, to determine the mechanisms that drive this´.
Contributing towards an Inclusive Workplace
Her favorite aspect of the Norwegian culture is the existence of a work-life balance.
BELONG
BELONG is a NHH project to enhance the benefits from diversity at NHH. The project includes mentor-networks, training programs, and increased opportunities for talent-recognition. A part of the project is a series of interviews with international researchers at NHH. Project Coordinators: Evelina Gavrilova-Zoutman (Lead), Malin Arve and Aruna Tatavarthy.
Lived in the Netherlands
`In Norway it is possible both to have a family and full-time job. In other places, it is normalized to spend long hours at work, which means not spending time with the family. A woman has to choose between the family and work. Here, it is possible to have both´, she says.
Emirmahmutoglu lived in the Netherlands for quite a few years, as a PhD Candidate. What she appreciated most about the culture there was the absence of a language barrier.
`English was the first language of the institution, and it meant several things. For one, foreigners could get involved with the administration at any level. This meant that every international faculty could be involved in the organization´.
Professor Evelina Gavrilova-Zoutman leads the BELONG project at NHH. The purpose of the project is to focus on both visible as well as invisible identifiers of diversity:
`We want to contribute to an inclusive environment at NHH, where Norwegian culture can mix with the foreign cultures of employees at NHH. The goal is to promote overall well-being and communication between employees, such that when an employee of any origin talks about NHH it would come naturally to use the pronoun “we”´, she says.
Conversation starter: Figure skating
In addition, Emirmahmutoglu says there were plenty of international students who were studying full time.
`These students were not just exchange students, but students at the university, which made them better integrated with the environment. In this way, the whole university seemed more international´, she says.
And her conversation starters?
`Figure skating and Formula 1 from the 90s and early 2000s. These events were entertainment for the whole family´.
`A PhD at NHH is a fantastic opportunity´
After only six months as a PhD candidate, Lene Mortensen received an award for her research project. `Highly promising, ´ noted the committee.