Valentina Di Stasio

Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford (Nuffield College) and Visiting Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre

ABOUT ME

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford (Nuffield College), and a fellow of the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre. I am interested in the study of labour market stratification, with a focus on education systems, school-to-work transitions, and the hiring process.

My work is comparative and it draws on various methods: quantitative analysis of survey data, interviews, quasi-experiments (e.g. vignette studies, field experiments).

Before joining the WZB and Nuffield, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where in 2014 I also obtained my doctoral degree. My PhD dissertation - titled Why education matters to employers. A vignette study in Italy, England and the Netherlands - has been awarded the 'Best PhD thesis of the year' prize by the European Consortium for Sociological Research.

NEWS

August: I received funding from the British Academy (BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant) to start a new project, titled "Prestige for all? A field experiment on the effect of educational credentials on the employment opportunities of different ethnic groups", a collaboration with Prof. Anthony Heath (University of Oxford) and Dr. Gerbrand Tholen (City University London).

July: I taught a course on Factorial Surveys at a summer school held at the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre and funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Jacobs Foundation.
June: I have been awarded a John Fell OUP Research Fund from the University of Oxford to conduct a new project, titled "Laying low, sticking out or keeping straight - Employers' views on how to improve the employment chances of minority applicants".