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New in Our Places You’ll Go Series: A PhD Year on the Move

31 March, 2026

In our Places You’ll Go series, we follow CERGE-EI students as they take their research abroad and bring new ideas back to Prague.

In this interview, Ilisa Goenka (PhD student; Quantitative Macroeconomics, Household Finance, Behavioral Macroeconomics) reflects on one of the most intellectually energizing periods of her PhD—spent at the University of Copenhagen in the spring and the University of Chicago in the fall, with an additional visit to Princeton University as a Stapleton Scholar.

Moving between three top research environments in a single year meant learning to integrate quickly, stay productive, and use every short window well. As Ilisa puts it, “Each place had a different style and a different way of talking about research, and that pushed me to see my work from new angles.”

She also shares practical advice for students planning their own research stays: “When choosing where to apply, start with research fit. Look for departments where there are several people working close to your interests, and where you can imagine presenting your work and getting feedback that is directly relevant.”

Read the full interview in English here.
Browse all interviews in the study stays series here.