Economics of Talent Conference
Organized by Glenn Ellison, Britta Glennon, and Gaurav Khanna
Supported by Carina Initiatives, Inc. and Digital Harbor Foundation
October 2, 2026
Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd.,Cambridge, MA (Charles Room)
Thursday, October 1
6:30 pm
Group Reception & Dinner - Royal Sonesta Hotel (Longfellow Room)
Friday, October 2
8:30 am
Continental Breakfast and Registration
40 minute presentations include Q&A throughout. In 20 minute presentations we will hold most questions until the end.
9:00 am
Session 1: Universities and Talent Identification/Development

Friends in Higher Places: Social Fit and University Choice

Nagisa Tadjfar, University of British Columbia
Kartik Vira, Institute for Fiscal Studies
9:40 am

Will The University Endowment Tax Slow Scientific Progress? Evidence from Elite Economics PhD Programs

Joshua Angrist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
Marc Diederichs, University of Passau
Glenn Ellison, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
10:20 am

How Far Can Inclusion Go? The Long-term Impacts of Preferential College Admissions

Michela Carlana, Harvard University and NBER
Sara Chiuri, Princeton University
Enrico Miglino, Banca d'Italia
Michela M. Tincani, University College London
10:40 am
Break
11:00 am
Session 2: Immigration and Other Policies

Long-Run Effects of H-1B Immigration on the U.S. Economy

Ran Abramitzky, Stanford University and NBER
Leah Platt Boustan, Yale University and NBER
Ahmet Gulek, Stanford University
Jens Hainmueller, Stanford University
11:20 am

Borrowing for Breakthroughs: Student Loans and Innovation

Alex Bell, Georgia State University
Vikram Jambulapati, University of California, San Diego
11:40 am

A Quarter of US-Trained Scientists Eventually Leave. Is the US Giving Away Its Edge?

Lee Fleming, University of California, Berkeley
Daniel P. Gross, Duke University and NBER
Dror Shvadron, University of Toronto
Hansen Zhang, Duke University
12:00 pm
Lunch
12:50 pm
Session 3: Historical Perspectives

The Return(s) of Superstar Scientists

Michela Giorcelli, University of California, Los Angeles and NBER
Yujing Huang, University of California, Los Angeles
Bo Li, Peking University
1:30 pm

Dictators, Democracies and Discoveries: Political Institutions and the Creation of Knowledge

Sebastian Hager, University of Oxford
Felix Radde, University of Munich
Carlo Schwarz, Bocconi University
Fabian Waldinger, University of Munich
2:10 pm

Tapping into Scientific Talent: The Rise of Corporate and Public R&D in Japan’s Chemical Industry

Takuya Hiraiwa, University of Maryland, College Park
2:30 pm
Break
2:50 pm
Session 4: Developing Talent in Firms

Managing Innovation in Firms

Ingrid Haegele, LMU Munich
Isabela Manelici, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Jose P. Vasquez, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Francis Wong, University of Munich
3:30 pm

Silicon Valley Everywhere? Startup Accelerators and the Geography of Entrepreneurship

Freda Fang, University of Toronto
Mohaddeseh Heydari Nejad, Indiana University Bloomington
4:10 pm
Break
4:30 pm
Panel Discussion/Keynote
Doug Rand, Director, Talent Mobility Fund
5:30 pm
Closing Remarks and Adjourn