UC alumna wins prestigious Cambridge scholarship
31 May 2011
UC graduate Catherine Sleeman has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, one of the most prestigious international scholarships available, to complete a PhD at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
UC graduate Catherine Sleeman has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, one of the most prestigious international scholarships available, to complete a PhD at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Catherine is only the second UC graduate to have been awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship in its 10 year history.
Competition for the scholarships is very competitive with more than 8000 international applicants applying. The purpose of the scholarship is to enable scholars from any part of the world, outside the United Kingdom, to benefit from an education at the University of Cambridge. It was formed with a US$210 million donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Catherine graduated from the University of Canterbury in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in economics. On graduating she took an internship at the New Zealand Treasury where she helped to examine the impact of a carbon tax on household welfare and inequality. She later joined the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
Moving to the Reserve Bank of England, Catherine enjoyed talking to and visiting school students about the role of monetary policy. After completing a master's degree at Cambridge University examining the bias and efficiency of forecasts, she joined Morgan Stanley as a UK economist.
"I have been able to return to Cambridge on several occasions to speak to and advise students hoping to join the financial sector," she said.
"I am completing the PhD to broaden my knowledge of economics. My thesis will examine and hopefully expand upon the range of techniques that can be used to evaluate public policies."
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