New doctoral student: Leo Sokolow Romin

What have you done previously that have shaped your path to where you are today?

I have a Master’s degree in Economics from Uppsala University and a Bachelor’s degree in Practical Philosophy from Stockholm University. My path toward research has been driven by a strong interest in societal issues and in how economic analysis can be used to understand complex trade-offs in politics and working life.

I have also worked with labour market and education policy, most recently at Ramboll Management Consulting, and I have written about ethical considerations related to AI in Dagens Industri and Arbetsvärlden. These experiences have strengthened my desire to combine academic research with policy-relevant questions.

What are you most looking forward to stepping into this role?

I am very much looking forward to being part of the research environment at Uppsala University and to the interdisciplinary exchange within the research cluster. The opportunity to study AI development and its consequences for the labour market in real time, in dialogue with researchers in economics as well as other disciplines, is an enormous privilege.

Briefly describe your research interests or planned research project.

My research interests concern the labour market in a broad sense, with a particular focus on human capital, skills development, and individuals’ career trajectories. I am currently working on a project in which I evaluate individual-level effects of EU-funded skills development initiatives. In the longer term, I am interested in how AI is transforming work practices, occupational roles, and the labour market more generally, as well as how policy can be used to mitigate the risk of negative outcomes such as unemployment and inequality.