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Let’s talk about you: what is your background, what do you teach, and what are your research interests?
My name is Giacomo Pasini, I was born and raised in Padova and now I live in Venice. I teach Econometrics to postgraduate and doctoral students, and Microeconomics to undergraduate students.
In my research I focus on Health Economics, with particular attention to problems related to long-term care policies for the elderly, and mental health for workers. In the past I worked on saving and investment choices for families, again focusing on what happens before and after retirement.

Tell us about your academic path.
I graduated in Economic Statistics at University of Padova, and then I earned a doctorate in Economics in Venice. During my doctorate I spent a year at Stanford (USA), and then I stayed in Utrecht (NL) as a post-doc.
When I moved back to Italy, I worked as an associate researcher on projects related to Health Investigation, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In 2011 I became a researcher for Ca’ Foscari, then associate professor in 2014, and full professor in 2019. In the past five years I’ve been the Director of the Doctoral programme in Economics.

Have you always known that this was going to be your path?
No. After graduating I worked as a Risk Manager for Eni for two years, before returning to the academic world to obtain my doctorate. I think it was an important experience in my personal journey, both for the skills that I learned but also for personal growth.

What do studying and researching mean to you?
I believe in the social value of this job. Providing high-quality education for new generations means contributing actively to the wellbeing of this country, as well as conducting research that has a direct impact on people’s lives. In my field it’s relatively easy: I manage the evaluation of public policies, which is absolutely essential in a post-pandemic welfare plan.

Can you offer any advice to researchers in the early stages of their career?
Sometimes research is the best job in the world, as it is the only job where you get paid for thinking about what you like the most. Obviously you need to be ready to work hard and consistently, and be willing to travel around the world and face competition, since there are many more good researchers than jobs available. But with determination, curiosity and adaptation you are going to have a wonderful time!