Welcome! My name is Eric Wilken and I am an economics PhD candidate at the University of Oregon. I will be on the job market for the 2025-2026 academic year.
I am an applied microeconomist with broad resarch interests in public, labor, and behavioral economics. My current research focuses on child welfare and how public policy impacts decisions about health and criminality. I also have interests in leadership and how groups behave differently depending on what type of leader (manager vs technical peer ‘leader’) to which they are exposed.
In my leisure time, I play percussion with the Eugene Springfield Community Orchestra, sit on the board of directors for Eugene Science Center, and explore my local food scene!