Wu prize

Academia is a place of intellectual interactions. Over the years, I have had the luxury of learning from many brilliant people. 

I set up this page to highlight one scholar and one seminar presentation from which I learned the most each year, as well as one achievement of my own — explaining an economic concept to my family. 

2026

Wu Prize for Outstanding Scholar: Eric Swanson  

For his outstanding work on monetary policy shocks and high-frequency identification. Arguably the most rigorous and scientific way of doing macroeconomics! 

Wu Prize for Best Seminar: Réka Juhász

I met Reka for the first time at the UCSD seminar. The paper (Codification, Technology Absorption, and the Globalization of the Industrial Revolution) is simply amazing and thought-provoking!

Wu Prize from the Wu family: Steve Wu. For explaining to the family why exchange rates move the way they do and how it aligns with regular economic forces.

2025

Wu Prize for Outstanding Scholar: Jim Hamilton. 

Jim is a true scholar. Over the years, I have learned a great deal from him. He has been both a great colleague and a great mentor. In the past year, I have used the Markov Switching model in two of my papers—a model he developed back in the days before I was born! 

Wu Prize for Best Seminar: Joe Hazell.

I met Joe for the first time at the UCSD seminar. Both his paper (Do Deficits Cause Inflation? A High Frequency Narrative Approach) and his presentation were simply the best of the best—truly impressive! 

Wu Prize from the Wu family: Steve Wu. For explaining to the family why interest rates have been going down in the last three decades (while interest rates are actually high now.)