𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 – Tianyu Yang

On Tuesday, 10 February 2026, Tianyu Yang of ROA, Maastricht University successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled:

“Adaptation under Uncertainty: How Students Navigate Educational and Career Decisions during Major Disruptions”

This dissertation examines how students adapt their educational and career decisions when major disruptions undermine stable information about future outcomes. Focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and the rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence, it combines natural experiments, survey data, and randomized controlled trials to provide causal evidence on how uncertainty reshapes mobility intentions, career preferences, and adaptive strategies. The findings show that students respond to disrupted informational environments through institutional hedging via international education, strategic circulation in academic migration, and information-driven career recalibration in response to technological change. Overall, the dissertation extends human capital and migration frameworks by highlighting adaptation under persistent uncertainty as a central feature of educational decision-making.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Carla Haelermans
Co-supervisor: Dr. Barbara Belfi

Click here to read the full thesis