William G
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Columbia University

Expertise

Economics, Game Theory, Data Analysis, Sports Analytics, Playwriting

Bio

Hi! My name is William Grimme, and I am a PhD student in Economics at Columbia University. I completed my undergraduate degree at Rice University, majoring in Mathematical Analysis of Economics and Theatre, for which I completed an Honors Thesis project. I specialize in microeconomic theory, game theory, and market design, though I have completed research in a variety of fields within economics. Outside of economics, I enjoy reading, creating theatre, playing D&D and doing martial arts. I love games, puzzles and problems with interesting constraints. As a graduate student, I now get to solve these problems-- and feel empowered to do so based on the mentorship and teaching I have received. I hope to give you the tools and confidence to tackle whatever problems may interest you!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Cross-Sport Exchanges: A Market for Players

Many cities (and ownership groups) feature multiple sports teams-- what if players could be traded not just within sports but across sports? Could we find a way to equate player value, both in wins and revenue? How would an owner like to split salary caps across sports?

(Don't?) Judge a Movie by its Trailer

Can we predict a movie's box-office success based on the number of views its trailer receives on YouTube? What about its number of likes? A student pursuing this project might learn about web scraping, time lag effects, and identifying relevant predictors.

Coding skills

Python, R, STATA, SQL

Languages I know

Spanish

Teaching experience

Worked as a TA for several semesters, both in undergraduate and graduate school. Currently working as a mentor for international students who are interested in attending graduate school, and a tutor through the SIPA program at Columbia.

Credentials

Work experience

Energy Ogre (2019 - 2020)

Strategy and Pricing Intern

Rice University Economics Department (2020 - 2017)

Research Assistant

Education

Rice University

BA Bachelor of Arts

Mathematical Economic Analysis, Theatre

Columbia University

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate

Economics

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William G - Research Program Mentor