Federico Merchan Alvarez joined the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in April 2022. He is a doctoral candidate at Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universitat zu Kiel). His research focuses on understanding the trade impact on different variables (productivity, manager quality, dividends, executive compensation, among others). He holds an undergraduate and a masters degree in economics from the University of the Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Before joining the Kiel Institute, he worked as teaching assistant, economic advisor for the Colombian government, and research fellow for multilateral organizations.