‘Finland and Aalto University have been very welcoming to my family, and I have really enjoyed living and working here’

The Education for the Future (EDUCA) Flagship, funded by the Research Council of Finland, improves our understanding of the effects of policy reforms and interventions, the timing of optimal learning moments, student engagement, and the skills of teachers and school leaders. It also examines how education can better support social and personalized learning and make more effective use of technology in the classroom. A key part of EDUCA is the development of a new data infrastructure that integrates existing data and expands it through large-scale data collections.

The School of Business currently hosts five talented international postdoctoral researchers working on the EDUCA Flagship. Let’s get to know three of them: Cécile Bonneau, Daniel Carvajal, and Maria Sauval through a short Q&A.

How did you get to know about the EDUCA?

Cécile Bonneau: I was finishing my PhD thesis last year and was searching for a post-doctoral position. That was when I first heard about the EDUCA. I learned more about it during the subsequent hiring process.

Daniel Carvajal: I got to know about the EDUCA program through research colleagues and collaborators affiliated to Aalto University, who told me about the plans for the grants and my fit with the projects.

Maria Sauval: I moved to Helsinki with my family one year before finishing my PhD and getting this postdoc position. During this time, I worked part-time at VATT Institute for Economic Research. I was able to meet Helsinki-based researchers working on labor and education topics and learned about EDUCA. When I was preparing myself for the job market, I learned about this job opportunity, and I applied. 

Where do you come from, and what is your background?

Cécile: I am from Toulouse in the south of France. My academic background is in Economics, and I received my PhD in 2024 from the Paris School of Economics.

Daniel: I come from Costa Rica originally. I completed a master’s degree at CEMFI in Madrid, Spain, and my PhD in Economics at NHH in Bergen, Norway.

Maria: I am originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, where I did my bachelor’s in Economics. I then moved to the United States, where I got my PhD in Education Policy from the University of California, at Irvine.

What do you bring to EDUCA, and what is your area of expertise?

Cécile: EDUCA is a highly multidisciplinary programme. As an economist, I work primarily with quantitative methods, using causal-inference techniques. My PhD research focused on identifying various determinants of disparities in access to selective higher education in France—specifically, gender and social inequalities—through econometric causal-inference methods.

Daniel: My expertise area is in behavioral and experimental economics, which incorporates insights from psychology applied to economic behavior. In terms of knowledge, I contribute to EDUCA by exploring behavioral determinants of educational choices. In terms of methods, I contribute by developing surveys and experiments that allows us to study these questions.

Maria: My research area is education policy, with a focus on early childhood education. Unlike my colleagues, my PhD was interdisciplinary. Even though my research is rooted in economics, I also had the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary research projects, collaborating with experts in developmental psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and policy analysis. I believe this experience can contribute to our EDUCA team, as the flagship programme is also multidisciplinary and aims to foster collaboration among researchers from different fields.

How do you feel about Finland or Aalto University (School of Business)? 

Cécile: Aalto University offers a great environment for conducting research. In the Department of Economics, we have a strong team of education economists who actively share ideas and discuss research at every stage, making it a stimulating place to work. Living in Finland is also a great experience, and I particularly enjoy the closeness to nature both on campus and throughout the country.

Daniel: I have found Finland surprisingly comfortable, despite the cold and me coming from a warm country. The School of Business has also been a great experience, as I was lucky to start with great colleagues and active environment, as well as nice facilities.

Maria: I truly enjoy being part of the EDUCA team and Aalto University more generally. I appreciate the amazing work environment, the research opportunities, and the support we receive from other researchers in the Department. Beyond professional life, Finland has been very welcoming to my family, and I have really enjoyed living here. It’s been a rewarding experience both personally and professionally.

‘I’m grateful to have such excellent new colleagues. It’s terrific to collaborate with early-career researchers who bring so much enthusiasm, creativity, and expertise to our team,’ says Matti Sarvimäki, Associate Professor of Economics at Aalto University, who serves as one of the EDUCA’s Vice Directors.