Victoria College Students Recognized for Undergrad Economics Research

^{Chloe Gergi was among those recognized for her research at the 5th Annual Tech Econference on May 7, 2025. Hosted by the Department of Economics, the event highlighted top undergraduate work from the previous term.}

By Kate Baggott

Three Victoria College students have much to celebrate. On May 7, Chloe Gergi, Cagla Naz Akgul and Vedant Malligaarjunan Iyer were recognized at the 5th Annual Tech Econference. Hosted by the Department of Economics, the conference celebrates the best in undergraduate economics research from the previous term.

Akgul and Iyer were part of the research team that wrote the paper "The Institutional Cost of Violence: Political Trust under Pressure in Nigeria". The study, written with St. Michael’s College student Ipek Akyol, examines how increases in political violence affect political trust in Nigeria. Akyol, who presented on behalf of the trio of co-authors, won first prize for the presentation. 

Gergi, who wrote and presented the results of the paper "From Lawsuits to Losses? How Patent Litigation Drives Stock Price Volatility Across Firm Sizes", tied with New College’s Koji Iwata for third place presentation. Her single-author paper investigates how stock prices respond to patent litigation events across firms of different sizes.

“ECO225 was the first course that truly challenged me to think like a researcher,” she said. "Through my project, I realized how powerful data can be in uncovering patterns that aren’t always obvious, like how firm size and patent litigation shape investor reactions to uncertainty. Writing this paper taught me not just technical skills like event studies and regression analysis, but also how to frame questions that connect law, economics, and investor behaviour. It deepened my interest in using data-driven research to understand real-world risks, and it has motivated me to pursue opportunities that combine economics, law, and technology moving forward.”