We are proud to announce that Aram Grigorian (ISET class 2015) was accepted with full university funding to the prestigious Economics PhD program at Duke University. Aram received generous admission offers from other top schools, such as Johns Hopkins and Ohio State, which he had to decline. He also had to decline (at least for the time being) the possibility of a professional career as a rock guitarist.

Aram’s main interests in economics are Mechanism Design and Game Theory. He first studied these subjects with professors Motty Perry and Avner Shaked. Upon graduating from ISET's MA program, Aram continued to explore them with guidance by Alex Gershkov (Hebrew University in Jerusalem) and Daniel Levy (Bar Iran University, Israel), who supervised his research and supported his applications as part of ISET’s “third year program”. (This program provides a framework for aspiring graduates to get ready for studies in top European and North American departments).

In his e-mail to us, Aram wrote: “Support by ISET’s visiting and resident faculty is the main reason I have been accepted to top Ph.D. program in Economics. Thank you, ISET.”

From a total of 247 ISET graduates, 98% are currently employed or studying abroad. ISETers hold leading analytical positions in the National Banks and ministries in all three South Caucasus countries and study in PhD programs such as at Stanford University, University of Chicago, New York University and University of Pennsylvania, among others.

We congratulate Aram Grigorian on his achievement and wish him success in all his future endeavors!