About

I am a senior applied economist, with a broad range of research interests, from international macroeconomics and business policy to behavioural economics and pedagogy.

I publish widely, act as consultant for local government and businesses, and engage with media as an economic expert.

I have experience leading research and consultancy projects for the D2N2 LEP, mainly focused on local labour market and skills for the Skills Advisory Panel and the People and Skills element of the Strategic Economic Plan of the D2N2 Local Industrial Strategy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I represented the University of Derby as an economic expert on the D2N2 Economic Recovery Advisory Group.

My current research focus is in investigating regional economic disparities, particularly the drivers of regional economic resilience and sustainability.

Teaching responsibilities

In my teaching, I place emphasis on experiential learning using current real-time data and real world events and I always try to balance academic, practical and research elements. 

My current modules are Sustainable International Trade and Investment (PostGraduate) and Applied Intermediate Macroeconomics (undergraduate), Investing and Financial Markets (undergraduate) and International Business Economics (undergraduate).

Research interests

• International and macro economics
• regional economies
• behavioural applications to economics
• business policy
• pedagogy

I regularly supervise PhD and Postgraduate dissertations.

Membership of professional bodies

• Member of the Regional Studies Association, since Jul 2024
• Carbon Literate, Carbon Literacy Action Day 2023, 11 Feb 2024
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy, 2010
• Member of the Editorial/Peer-review Board of the ON Research journal
• Member of the Scientific Board of the Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) Economics - Bucharest University of Economic Studies
• MA Economics - Bucharest University of Economic Studies
• PhD in Economics - Bucharest University of Economic Studies
• PhD in Economics - Nottingham Trent University
• The Financial Economics of Climate and Sustainability (FECS) doctoral reading course 4 Feb-30 Apr 2025, The Salata Institute, Harvard Business School
• Carbon Literate, Carbon Literacy Action Day 2023, 11 Feb 2024

Recent conferences

I take part in a wide range of conferences, from teaching and learning to international business and behavioural economics. Most recently, I presented at the Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 7-8 November 2024, London and at the University of Derby Regional Economic Observatory (UDREO) Workshop on Inequality and Labour Market Challenges, July 2024.

Experience in industry

I am keen to engage professionally with public and private sector organisations. I regularly deliver keynote speaches at company events, act as consultant for local government and businesses and give expert economic opinion.

International experience

I have experience as an External Examiner for UK HEIs and their international collaboration partners

I have studied overseas in the US (Florida Atlantic University) and Austria (Vienna University of Economics and Business), led programmes and taught modules both in UK (University of Derby and Nottingham Trent University) and Romania (Bucharest University of Economic Studies).

In the media

I regularly feature in TV, radio and newspapers with expert commentary and short interviews.

Recent publications

• Michaels E. (2024). A Regional Economic Resilience Index for the UK – development and evaluation of impact using the GFC and Covid-19 pandemic shocks, Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2024, 7-8 November 2024, London, UK

• Michaels E. and Lynch N. (2022) ‘Instructor's Manual: Economics Eleventh European Edition', Pearson Education Ltd., Harlow, ISBN: 978-1-292-42481-1

• Michaels, E. and Powell, M. (2020) ‘Virtual Learning Environments – student engagement, perceptions and performance’, Chartered Association of Business Schools Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference 2020, 9-11 September 2020, Derby, UK

• Michaels, E, Dumitrescu, C. and Lie, R.I. (2020). Burden-Sharing and Accommodation of Migrants in the EU - A Simulation Based on Factorial Designs. Journal of Economic Computation and Economic Cybernetics Studies and Research, 54(2/2020), 147-163. DOI: 10.24818/18423264/54.2.20.09

• Michaels, E. and Powell, M. (2017) ‘Behavioural economics: Using ‘nudges’ for promoting pro-environmental behaviours in the workplace’, in Baranova, P., Conway, E., Lynch, N. and Patterson, F. (ed.) The Low Carbon Economy. Understanding and Supporting a Sustainable Transition, Palgrave, London, pp. 59-85, ISBN 978-3-319-56752-5