Dr Perihan Saygin is an economist specialising in labour economics, education and gender, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her research uses applied econometric methods and experimental approaches to examine how educational institutions, gender bias and social networks influence educational attainment, career choices and labour market outcomes. Her work covers gender differences in university admissions and performance evaluations, wage discrimination, and the role of professional networks in helping displaced workers find employment.

Perihan combines an international academic background with policy research experience. Before joining Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, she held academic positions at the University of Florida and the University of Mannheim and worked as a consultant with the World Bank’s Jobs Group.

She holds a PhD in Economics from IMT Lucca Institute for Advanced Studies, Italy, and conducted her doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Labor Economics under the supervision of Professor David Card. She also holds a master’s degree in Development Economics from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hacettepe University.