Matthew Wildrick Thomas

Economics Ph.D. Candidate at Northwestern University

Education

Northwestern University Evanston, IL

Ph.D. in Economics Sep 2017 - Present

M.A. in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics Sep 2017 - Jun 2018

Williams College Williamstown, MA

B.A. in Mathematics and Economics, GPA: 3.9, Magna Cum Laude Aug 2013 - Jun 2017

Professional and Research Experience

Northwestern University Evanston, IL

Graduate Researcher Jun 2019 - Present

• Developed Python and R code to analyze large economic data sets for independent and collaborative research
• Modeled interactions in credit markets and created novel estimators for preferences and beliefs

Charles Schwab Austin, TX

Retail Analytics Intern Summer 2016

• Analyzed large datasets (eg. all trades placed in last 10 years) in SAS and SQL to describe customer behavior
• Identified optimal target audience among four hundred thousand clients for a strategic marketing campaign
• Presented simple, easy to understand, and actionable data-based insights for leadership teams
• Developed a simple tool with a team of fellow interns to drive recruitment and improve employee retention
• Organized weekly networking events and meetings for 30 interns to discuss operations and current projects

Williams College Williamstown, MA

Student Technical Consultant Manager May 2014 - Jun 2017

• Promoted to manage a team of 40 students to support students, faculty, and staff in their use of technology
• Took charge of technology and network problems in person and over the phone while reassuring clients

Teaching Experience

Kellogg School of Management Evanston, IL

Graduate Instructor for Analytics Courses Sep 2019 - Present

• Direct workshops on programming to prepare MBA students for technical internships at early stage startups
• Coach MBA students in their use of Python, R, and other languages through daily office hours
• Evaluate and write feedback on weekly case assignments for classes of over 130 MBA students

Northwestern University Evanston, IL

Graduate Assistant Sep 2018 - Present

• Innovated Python applications to streamline assignment creation and evaluation for thousands of students
• Present simple lectures on complex Microeconomics and Econometrics concepts to classes of 80-200 students

Skills

• Programming proficiency in STATA, R, Python, SQL, Mathematica, and SAS through research, classwork, and work experience – some experience with MatLab, and Julia
• Knowledge of machine learning algorithms and Python libraries through coursework and independent study
• Git and collaborative development expertise through coding projects and my service as a GitHub Advisor
• Experienced with Linux dedicated server and VPS administration through web development freelance work

Honors

• Awarded a small travel grant from GitHub ($1,500) to present at Python Software Foundation events
• Awarded Carl Van Duyne Prize ($6,350) for thesis support based on excellence in economics and research
• Awarded Sentinels Fellowship ($5,300) to fund research on the effect of nonprofits on high school graduation