James and Gerda studied BSc (Hons) Economics and graduated this summer.

The endowed Prize fund was donated by Professor Jagdish Bhagwati and Professor Padma Desai in 2014.

James said: "I am very honoured to receive this award. It was fantastic to learn about the field of Development Economics, especially from professors who are at the forefront of research in this rewarding area of study. I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Jean-Francois Maystadt, the staff team and the sponsors of this award."

Gerda said: “I feel very honoured and delighted to be one of the recipients of the Professor Balasubramanyam Prize Award this year. During my studies here at Lancaster University I am glad that I was introduced to the field of Development Economics as I became very interested in and passionate about it. I very much hope to be able to pursue it in the future. I highly enjoyed the module, which was both challenging and multifaceted, and many thanks to the great lecturers and tutors involved. Thank you again for everyone involved with this award, I am very grateful and deeply appreciate it!”

Currently James is working for Media iQ Digital, a digital marketing company based in London. James added: “I am really enjoying it so far and it certainly makes use of the skills and knowledge I picked up throughout my degree”.

Gerda is going on to study MSc Economics at Lancaster University and is very much looking forward to it.

We hope to see James and Gerda on campus soon and wish them both every success in the future.