A graduate of the HSE in Nizhny Novgorod, Dmitry Khametshin: ‘My academic career is my priority’

A graduate of the HSE in Nizhny Novgorod, Dmitry Khametshin is now getting his Ph.D. from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. He talks about his professional career and future plans.

— I am taking a postgraduate course at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona and teach econometrics classes to UPF master's students. Before that, I completed two master's courses—an MSc at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and then the research master’s course MRes/MPhil at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. In economics, a research master's degree is usually required before admission to a PhD program. Prior to that, I completed a specialist course at the HSE in Nizhny Novgorod, and then worked there for 3.5 years at the Department of Financial Management .

— Are you now working in the same academic field? Or have your research interests, perhaps, changed over the past two years?

— My research interests are basically the same — finance of all types, including the economics of financial intermediation, corporate finance, the pricing of financial assets, macroeconomics, and monetary economics. The subject of my thesis lies at the junction of banking theory and monetary economics.

— Have you already been involved in the University's research projects?

— Yes, my academic supervisor offered me to work under his guidance on a research project, and I agreed, of course. I am responsible for the empirical part. This project will inform a chapter in my future thesis.

— Tell us about your plans — will you continue in academia or shift to a business career?

— My academic career is, of course, my priority, but much will depend on the results of my postgraduate work. I do not rule out business—such as consulting or analytics — as long as it is not monotonous or boring.

— Some people believe that before taking a postgraduate course, one should work for a few years and then decide whether or not to pursue an academic career. What’s your opinion?

— Business and research are not so drastically different after all, even though they require certain different skills and abilities. Research is the production of knowledge. Sometimes we encounter a distorted view of academic studiesresearch activity—eg that an economic theory is useless and detached from real life, but this is not true. Serious research may have a great impact on economic policy, not to mention that all businesses have to deal with the laws of economics, so they are better off understanding them. In academia, just as in business, there is work—routine, but sometimes as intense—and highly integrated, highly competitive markets for human resources and final products, ie knowledge. Scientific research is just like business. It has its own routines and, at times, is just as intense; its integrated markets compete at a very high level for human resources and the final product—knowledge.

— Between studies, teaching, and research — do you have any time left for leisure or travel? I remember your passion for opera. Have you been to any concerts in Europe?

— The Netherlands has lots of opera houses. Just for comparison: the country is almost half the size of the Nizhny Novgorod region, and just look at how many orchestras they have. This year, I had very little free time and could only go to the opera once. Luckily, Barcelona hosts many festivals and contemporary art venues, so you have plenty of choice, not limited to the classics!

Anna Novak