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Wade Lahring

Pronouns: He/Him

Positions

Contact information

Background

Educational Background

PhD Economics, University of Calgary, 2029

MASc Data, Economics, and Design of Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2024

BBA Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Mount Royal University, 2016

Biography

I am a PhD student in the Economics program at the University of Calgary. I also work as a Research Assistant supporting professors from MIT and UC Berkeley. In my research, I seek to understand the root causes of economic development with the goal of contributing towards the advancement of evidence-based development policy. I am an empirical economist and my research relies upon using econometric tools to conduct causal inference and explore policy-relevant questions.

Prior to pursuing graduate school, I worked for 8 years in software-as-a-service at Benevity, mainly as a member of the product management team. Benevity's software platform powers the workplace giving and volunteering programs of over 35% of the Fortune 500, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. In 2021 Benevity achieved a US$1.1 billion valuation in what was at the time the 6th largest software deal in Canadian history.

I hold a bachelor's degree with a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation from Mount Royal University and a master’s degree in economics and policy evaluation from MIT. I expect to complete my PhD in 2029.

Awards

  • Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CGRS-D), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 2026
  • Alberta Graduate Excellence, University of Calgary. 2025