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Profile

Dr Grega Smrkolj

Lecturer in Economics

  • Email: grega.smrkolj@ncl.ac.uk
  • Address: Newcastle University Business School
    Room 7.24
    5 Barrack Road
    Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SE
    United Kingdom
Background

Profile

Grega is a Lecturer in Economics at Newcastle University Business School and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. He specializes in Industrial Organization, with a particular emphasis on using computational methods to explore the dynamic aspects of competition.

Roles and responsibilities

  • Lecturer in Economics
  • Elected Member of the University Senate (2024 – Present)

Qualifications and certificates

  • PhD in Economics, University of Amsterdam (Tinbergen Institute)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Certificate in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice (CASAP), Newcastle University, 2016

Previous positions

  • Academic Lead for Education, Enhancement and Employability in Economics (2018 - 2021)

CV

Curriculum Vitae [pdf]  

Bibliographic links

Google Scholar, ORCID iD, Scopus, ResearchGate

Teaching

Module Leader 2024/25

Other Modules Taught 2024/25

Visiting Scholar - University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business

Consultation hours 

By appointment or as announced on Canvas.

Past teaching

Introductory Econometrics (MSc), Applied Econometrics (MSc), Topics in Microeconomics (MSc), Statistical Methods for Economics (BSc), Analysing Economic Data (BSc), Economic Modelling (BSc), Economic Analysis (BSc)

Pioneering Innovative Learning and Career Development in Economics Education

As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an experienced educator in the Economics Department at the Business School, I have consistently demonstrated a commitment to enhancing our students' learning experience by integrating industry-standard tools, practical workshops, and fostering student engagement. I spearheaded the introduction and development of Bloomberg in our school, successfully setting up the Bloomberg Financial Lab and organising the popular Bloomberg e-module. Our school's partnership with Bloomberg as an Experiential Learning Partner, initiated by me, demonstrates our dedication to preparing students for the future of work and connecting them with industry experts.

My innovative approach to teaching includes pioneering the use of classroom response systems, such as Ombea and Mentimeter, to improve student engagement in the Economics Department. I have also introduced new techniques to promote transparency in assessment and feedback. In collaboration with other educators, I have organised numerous projects and workshops, such as financial trading sessions with Amplify Trading and Python programming for economists, a new module introduced in response to industry demand aimed at improving the employability skills of our students.

I have actively participated in the design and delivery of the annual employability program for our students, including the development of the Future Focus Conference, mentoring students in global competitions, and volunteering as a judge and interviewer for various events. My dedication to supporting students in their academic journey and career path is reflected in my consistently excellent teaching evaluations and the achievements of my students.

As an advocate for internationalization, I have also shared my expertise with institutions worldwide, such as my visiting scholar experience at the University of Ljubljana's School of Economics and Business. There, I am currently contributing to their International Master in Business and Organization (IMB), a program recognized among the top 100 Masters in Management globally by the Financial Times.

Research

Main expertise

My main research interests involve Industrial Organization, Applied Microeconomics, and Computational Economics. I have a particular interest in utilizing computational methods to analyze market structures and strategic behavior in various industries. A significant portion of my past research has been dedicated to exploring dynamic models of innovation and imitation, shedding light on how these processes shape market dynamics and competition.

I am part of the Department of Economics.

Interactive Visualization Tool

Restaurant Clustering and Quality Differentiation

This interactive MATLAB app supplements our paper “Quality Differentiation and Spatial Clustering among Restaurants” (Mossay, Shin, and Smrkolj, International Journal of Industrial Organization, 2022). The tool allows users to explore the spatial distribution of top and bottom restaurants across 96 cities in England and Wales, as discussed in Figure 1 of the paper. Users can select a city and adjust the quality percentile to visualize clustering patterns, centroids, and dispersion for each group.

Access the application here: Launch App

A MathWorks account is required to sign in and use MATLAB Online.

Academic referee activity

International Journal of Industrial Organization, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Automatica, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Dynamic Games and Applications 

Conference presentations

  • 19th International Industrial Organization Conference (virtual, 2021)
  • The 2021 Annual Conference of the Royal Economic Society (virtual, 2021) 
  • 53rd Annual Conference of the Canadian Economic Association (Banff, Alberta, 2019)
  • 9th International Research Meeting in Business and Management (Nice, 2018)
  • 28th International Conference on Game Theory (Stony Brook, NY, 2017)
  • 13th European Meeting on Game Theory (SING13 2017; Paris)
  • 50th Annual Conference of the Canadian Economic Association (CEA 2016; Ottawa)
  • 42nd Annual Conference of the European Association for Research in Industrial Economics (EARIE 2015; Munich)
  • 2015 Australian Conference of Economists (ACE 2015; Brisbane)
  • 49th Annual Conference of the Canadian Economic Association (CEA 2015; Toronto)
  • The 2015 Annual Conference of the Royal Economic Society (RES 2015; Manchester) 
  • 68th European Meeting of the Econometric Society (EEA - ESEM 2014; Toulouse) 
  • 16th International Symposium on Dynamic Games and Applications (ISDG 2014, Amsterdam)
  • 19th International Conference of the Society for Computational Economics: Computing in Economics and Finance (CEF 2013, Vancouver)
  • 11th International Industrial Organization Conference (IIOC 2013, Boston) 
  • 14th International Schumpeter Society Conference (ISS 2012, Brisbane)
  • 9th International Industrial Organization Conference (IIOC 2011, Boston)
  • 26th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association (EEA-ESEM 2011, Oslo)
  • 38th Annual Conference of the European Association for Research in Industrial Economics (EARIE 2011, Stockholm)
  • 37th Annual Conference of the European Association for Research in Industrial Economics (EARIE 2010, Istanbul)

Workshop and seminar presentations

  • Financial Trading Training (Markets in Action) - organiser (Newcastle, 2019)
  • Bloomberg for Education, London Symposium (London, 2018)
  • The Economics Network's Early Careers Workshop on effective and innovative teaching (London, 2016) 
  • GPU Computing Workshop, CEF 2013 (Vancouver, 2013)
  • Skema Business School - seminar (Sophia Antipolis, 2013)
  • Tinbergen Institute Organizations and Markets Seminar (Amsterdam, 2013)
  • Royal Economic Society PhD Presentation Meeting, Queen Mary, University of London (London, 2013)
  • Université catholique de Louvain - seminar (Louvain, 2012)
  • CeNDEF seminar, University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, 2012)
  • Centre for Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia - seminar (Norwich, 2012)
  • CISS 2011 – Competition and Innovation Summer School (Turunc, 2011)
  • Tinbergen Institute Seminar (Amsterdam, 2011)
  • The 2011 Zurich Initiative on Computational Economics (Zurich, 2011)
  • 11th Workshop on Optimal Control, Dynamic Games and Nonlinear Dynamics (Amsterdam, 2010)
  • Tinbergen Institute Seminar (Rotterdam, 2010)
  • 5th EBIM Doctoral Workshop on Economic Theory (Bielefeld, 2010)
  • Tinbergen Institute MATLAB Workshop - lecturer (Amsterdam, 2010)
Publications