Michael is passionate about understanding how firms respond to economic shocks and monetary policy changes. Monetary Economics Early-career faculty member, Lecturer & PhD Candidate at Stellenbosch University, completing doctoral research at University of Pretoria under Prof. Nicola Viegi (SARB Chair). Previous Doctoral Research Fellowship at South African Reserve Bank Chair specializing in firm behavior and business cycles. Former banking executive (Nedbank, Absa) with 15+ years combining academic rigor and industry experience. Published researcher presenting at ESSA and Macro conferences with advanced skills in R, Stata, Matlab. MPhil Economics (Distinction), Norwegian Scholarship recipient. Bridging the gap between theoretical economics and real-world business decision-making through data-driven insights.