I'm currently a PhD student in the Department of Economics at The University of Cambridge, and a member of St. John's College. My dissertation research, under the supervision of Richard J. Smith, concerns model selection. Broadly, this is an area of econometrics that tries to find solutions to the problem of 'data-snooping' (aka 'data-mining'). Bill Easterly gives a good general overview of this problem as it relates to development economics.
Before coming to Cambridge, I spent two years in the Economics PhD program at UC San Diego, earning an MA in the process. I hold an MSc in Statistics from the University of St Andrews, and BA in Economics and Mathematics from the College of William and Mary.
My main research interest at the moment is econometric theory, but I have a strong interest in applications, particularly to finance, environmental economics, and economic experiments. I'd like to learn more about economic history and the philosophy of economics.
Outside of economics, I enjoy reading about social science more broadly, philosophy, history, and languages, especially dead ones. I've been playing classical piano for 20 years, and dabbling on the mandolin for about 6. I also enjoy photography, sailing, and, when I'm lucky enough to spend the late summer on the Chesapeake Bay, hunting for callenectes sapidus the old-fashioned way -- with a string, a piece of raw chicken, and a net.
My email address is fditraglia "at" gmail.com