Meet our job market candidates
Each year, the Department of Economics at Stockholm University presents a new cohort of job market candidates – doctoral students who are ready to take the next step in their academic careers. For 2025/26 we highlight Sonia Giurumescu, Nils Landén Mammos, and Jens Oehlen, whose job market papers explore questions ranging from mobile connectivity in Africa to housing wealth in Sweden and intelligence in wartime Europe.
Sonia Giurumescu, Nils Landén Mammos, and Jens Oehlen, PhD candidates at Stockholm University. Photo: JM Fotografia; Mårten Larsson; Johanna Säll/Stockholm University
Sonia Giurumescu investigates how the spread of 3G mobile broadband has shaped fertility behavior and child health in Africa. Her findings challenge expectations, showing both increased fertility and deteriorating health outcomes among children born after 3G rollout. For Sonia, the project grew out of a longstanding interest: ”I have always been interested in how media influences society more broadly, and health outcomes in particular.” That curiosity – and the surprising patterns in the data – pushed the paper in new directions.
Nils Landén Mammos examines how parental housing wealth supports young people’s first steps into homeownership and what that means for how lending rules actually bite. Using rich linked data, he shows that down-payment transfers do not just change housing choices; they also change how much those rules matter and which households are most affected. The topic has personal roots for Nils: ”The main idea behind this paper is something I have discussed with friends and family for years,” he says, recalling conversations sparked when he moved from his small hometown to study in Lund, and noticed how some classmates were fully supported by their parents.
Jens Oehlen takes a historical perspective, studying how the Allies used intelligence from breaking the Nazi Enigma codes. His work highlights the strategic trade-offs involved in acting on secret information without revealing its source. The project began with an idea he hesitated to pursue – until a supervisor encouraged him to visit the National Archives in London. ”Looking back, it feels almost surreal how a few days spent in the archive eventually grew into the foundation of my job market paper,” he notes.
All three candidates are now preparing for the next stage of their academic careers – submitting applications, presenting their work, and engaging with prospective employers.
More about our candidates
Find links to job market papers, contact details and personal websites here:
Last updated: 2025-11-14
Source: Department of Economics