Rate My Professor Andrew Snell

Andrew Snell is Professor of Economics in the School of Economics at the University of Edinburgh, holding a Personal Chair since 2005. He obtained a BSc in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Hull between 1976 and 1979, followed by a PhD in Econometrics from the University of Warwick from 1979 to 1982. After completing his doctorate, he worked as a Research Officer in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Cambridge from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, he joined the University of Edinburgh as a Lecturer in Economics, progressed to Reader in Economics in 1996, and was promoted to Professor in 2005, where he remains.

His research specializations encompass applied econometrics, econometric theory, macroeconomics, the economics and econometrics of financial markets, and the links between labour markets and macroeconomics. Snell has authored numerous publications in prestigious journals, including 'Labor Contracts, Equal Treatment, and Wage-Unemployment Dynamics' (American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2010, with J. Thomas), 'Bias in returns to tenure when firm wages and employment comove: A quantitative assessment and solution' (Journal of Labor Economics, 2018, with P. Martins, H. Stüber, and J. Thomas), 'Downward Real Wage Rigidity and Equal Treatment Wage Contracts: Theory and Evidence' (Review of Economic Dynamics, 2018, with H. Stüber and J. Thomas), 'Job Security, Asymmetric Information and Wage Rigidity' (European Economic Review, 2024, with H. Stüber and J. Thomas), and 'Bias in estimating returns to tenure: The impact of monopsony power' (Economics Letters, 2025, with P. Martins and J. P. Thomas). Earlier notable works include 'Testing for a Unit Root in the Nonlinear STAR Framework' (Journal of Econometrics, 2003, with G. Kapetanios and Y. Shin) and 'A test of r versus r-1 Cointegrating Vectors' (Journal of Econometrics, 1999). As principal investigator, he has led ESRC-funded projects such as 'Nonlinear threshold error correction in panels' (2001-2002) and 'Cohort Effects Within Firms, and Their Implications for Labour Market Outcomes and the Business Cycle' (2007-2010), and contributed as co-investigator to the MacCaLM project. In administrative capacities, he served as Program Director of the MSc in Economics for the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics, Director of the Edinburgh School of Economics PhD Program, Postgraduate Admissions Director, Head of School from 2020 to 2021, and designed the School's 4-year Integrated PhD program in 2019. He has also performed extensive external examining and journal refereeing duties.