HEC Paris culture boosts doctoral success
One year after the placement of Jean-Noël Barrot (H.07, D.13) at MIT Sloan, another of the HEC Finance department’s Ph.D. students, Boris Vallée (H.06, D.14), who specialized in financial innovation, has taken the sought-after position of Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School.
"HEC was a very favorable environment for my research," explains Boris. "The entire team in the department was always available to talk, including my thesis director, Ulrich Hege, and the other professors and doctoral researchers. This collaborative culture is unique to HEC: during conversations at Northwestern and Duke, I noticed just how different the English-speaking system is. The strength of the Finance department at HEC can be seen in its placements: it is gaining more and more recognition at American universities, which are increasingly open to considering European candidates. HEC students have multiple talents, receive quantitative training as well as schooling in communication, and are well adapted to the demands of the research market. We also benefit from excellent interview preparation to help us succeed during the crucial job market period." Clearly a winning formula!