Speaker biographies

Helena Fornwagner, a passionate behavioural economist, delves into the role of gender in economic decision-making in her research. Her work focus and engagements, along with her commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion, make her a knowledgeable and informed professional. Helena's academic journey, culminating in a PhD in Economics from the University of Innsbruck, has equipped her with a deep understanding of the subject. Before joining the University of Exeter, she worked in different academic positions in Austria and Germany. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Economics as well as an Associate of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO).

Senjuti currently works as an Economic Advisor in the UK Government. Her policy portfolio covers Freight and Borders and in her four years in the Civil Service she has been involved in a variety of government schemes – ranging from designing government grant schemes to encourage R&D innovation in the freight sector (think start-ups that build drones for delivering parcels) to working with HM Treasury on quantifying the impacts of the fuel rebate extension in the aftermath of the latest Middle East crisis to help domestic freight operators deal with the massive spike in diesel prices. She came to Exeter in 2021 from Kolkata to attend the MRes-PhD programme in Economics and decided to gain some work experience after finishing her MRes instead of progressing to the PhD programme. She is also a committee member at Women in Economics, working to encourage more young women into economist roles by joining the Government Economic Service.

Shaun is currently Director of Education and Student Experience. His interests span behavioural and experimental economics, and in his current role he works to improve how economics education is designed and delivered, helping to shape an engaging and supportive learning environment for students. Originally from the North-West, Shaun initially studied Chemistry before completing a PhD in Molecular Biochemistry, where he investigated nascent structures in denatured proteins. Although he enjoyed research, he was less certain about his long-term career path, and after his doctorate he moved into banking technology. Shaun spent several years developing and supporting risk systems for major financial institutions, most notably at Deutsche Bank, where he worked on credit derivatives risk systems. Curious to better understand the products that these systems supported, he enrolled on a part-time course at Birkbeck, University of London. An unexpected module in microeconomics proved transformative, sparking a fascination with economics and human decision-making. Motivated by this new interest, Shaun left banking and joined the MSc Economics programme at the University of Exeter. He subsequently completed a PhD in Economics, examining why people lie and cheat, with a particular focus on tax compliance and reporting behaviour. Following his doctorate, he joined Exeter's Department of Economics as a Lecturer.

Grace Lord is an Analyst at BNP Paribas within the Investment Banking division, focused on UK Equity Capital Markets. She graduated from the University of Exeter in summer 2025 with a BSc in Economics, with a Dean's Commendation. Exeter remains a place she remembers fondly, where she threw herself into student life as President of the Economics Society and where she was awarded a Top 10 Female Undergraduate of the Year in the UK by Rolls-Royce and TARGET jobs. Her career began with internships at GSK, St. James's Place, Goldman Sachs, and Elston Consulting, before a summer internship in her second year at BNP Paribas in the Equity Capital Markets (DACH) team earned her a graduate return offer. As a graduate, she completed two rotations across Equity Capital Markets (NoBeNeLux and DACH) and FIG Advisory. She also sits on the board of Young Enterprise and supports early careers’ at BNPP. Throughout, Grace has built real resilience and a "knock on the door and see what happens" mentality — always ready to seize the next opportunity.

Lisha Agarwal is a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Exeter and serves as the department's Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coordinator. She completed her PhD in Economics from the University of Padova in 2021. Since then, she has held academic positions at the University of Padova and the University of Manchester before joining Exeter in 2023. She teaches undergraduate economics programmes and has experience teaching and coordinating large undergraduate modules. Her teaching philosophy is centered on creating engaging, evidence-informed learning experiences that encourage students to think critically, apply economic principles to real-world issues, and become independent learners. As GTA Coordinator, she leads the professional development of postgraduate tutors by designing training programmes, mentoring them, and implementing initiatives that strengthen teaching quality across the department. She is a Fellow of Advance HE and is passionate about helping students and early-career educators develop confidence, skills and curiosity to succeed.

Sarah Golwala is the Vice Academic President of the University of Exeter Economics Society and is a penultimate-year BSc Business Economics student. She is passionate about how economics shapes global markets and how everyday decisions ripple into the bigger picture. Outside of academics, she enjoys travelling to new countries and baking. She is excited to host the first panel discussion of the year and hopes it will spark engaging conversations and new ideas.

Jingya Zeng is a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Exeter, where she completed her PhD in 2023. Her research focuses on the socioeconomic determinants of mental health, examining how the COVID-19 pandemic, high-speed internet access, and online activities shape wellbeing, with a particular emphasis on gender differences. Beyond academia, Jingya is actively committed to knowledge exchange and policy impact. Her study published in Oxford Open Economics (with Prof. Climent Quintana-Domeque and Dr. Xiaohui Zhang) was cited as written evidence to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee, informing the Digital Exclusion Report and its recommendations on gender-targeted digital health strategies. She has also served as a research consultant for startups, applying evidence-based insights to improve women's urban safety, a project that fostered collaborations with Transport for London and City Hall. As an educator, she is deeply passionate about teaching econometrics, the methodological toolkit that underpins all her research, helping students see how rigorous quantitative methods can translate directly into real-world policy and change.