Bio
Economic PhD Student, OSU
Dept. of Economics
Ohio State University
chen.7404[at]buckeyemail.osu.edu
I am currently an Economic PhD student at The Ohio State University. My research interests lie broadly in economic theory, game theory, information economics, and decision theory, with a particular interest in strategic interaction, bargaining, and learning under incomplete information.
I grew up in Wuxi, China, a beautiful city known for its classical gardens, Taihu Lake, rich cultural history, and local cuisine such as the famous Liangxi Crispy Eel . My academic journey later brought me to the University of California, Davis, where I received my B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics. Influenced by my family background and many of the fellow students around me, I initially pursued a career path related to agribusiness and continued my studies in the business track of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. However, during this experience, I gradually realized that my true interests were not in the business-oriented side of economics, but rather in economic theory and quantitative analysis. This realization motivated me to apply to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I pursued the theory track in economics and further developed my interests in mathematical economics and econometrics. In Fall 2026, I will continue this journey as a Ph.D. student in Economics at The Ohio State University.
I used to spend much of my spare time playing video games. During my undergraduate years, I participated in the Collegiate 2018 tournaments for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rainbow Six Siege. In Rainbow Six Siege, I achieved a global ranking of 63 during Operation Commanding Force under the in-game ID RoomRoomService. Although I no longer play competitive video games as intensively as before, gaming was an important part of my undergraduate experience and taught me a great deal. Nowadays, in my free time, I prefer more active hobbies such as swimming and playing badminton.
Education
- Ph.D. in Economics, The Ohio State University, Fall 2026–present.
- M.S. in Economics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, May 2026.
- M.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 2023.
- B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of California, Davis, June 2021.
Employment
- Intern, IBM China, Jul. 2018 – Sep. 2018.
- Tutor, Math 521 (Thierry Laurens), Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Fall 2025.
- Grader, ECON 475 (Simeon Alder), Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Fall 2025.
- Grader, ECON 621 (Dan Quint), Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Spring 2026.
Awards
- Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium (GCURS) Award in Economics, Rice University, 2025.
Research
(All coauthors are listed in alphabetical order, regardless of relative contributions.)
Working Projects
- "To Bargain or Not to Bargain: Theory and Evidence from Ransom Negotiations" (work in progress), with Yong Zhu.
Published Papers
- "From Lab to Life: Decoding the Predictive Power of Present Bias on Adolescent Self-Control Behaviors," Economics Letters Volume 235 (February 2024) 111516.
Conference Presentations
- Global Conference of Undergraduate Research Scholars (GCURS), Rice University, 2025.