Education
PhD in Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Subjects
Economics of Education, Labor Economics, Talent Misallocation, Soft Skills, Policy Reform
Achievements
Top 5 national college admission scores in Costa Rica (2016); research grant from UC Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (2025); research grant from UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (2024); Academic Excellence Scholarship and Highest Annual GPA Prize at the University of Costa Rica (2016-2018)
About
Marco is a PhD candidate in Economics at UC Berkeley. His research explores the intersection of education and labor markets, focusing on how alternative evaluation systems shape career outcomes and skill development. His work uses natural experiments and novel datasets to study talent misallocation, soft skills, and policy reform. He is from Costa Rica, where he completed his undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Costa Rica, and has taught college-level econometrics for three years.
Discipline
Economics & Business
Academic Achievements
Top 5 National College Admission Scores in Costa Rica in 2016. Research Grant from UC Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor & Employment in 2025. Research Grant from UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in 2024. Academic Excellence Scholarship and Highest Annual GPA Prize in the University of Costa Rica (2016 - 2018).
Teaching & Mentoring Experience
I have taught college-level econometrics for three years, a course that uses statistical methods to estimate causal relationships in economics. In this class, we guide students through applied research methods and mentor them as they develop original research projects. In addition, in recent months, I have worked one-on-one with two high school students, supporting them in developing individual research projects for their college applications—one examining the impact of free meals on poor households' labor and education outcomes, and the other analyzing price determination and component complementarities in the rocket market.
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