Stephan Smeekes (1983) is an economist and develops research methods that combine econometrics, statistics and data science. He seeks interaction with other fields and with society in his research, which has added value for other disciplines too. For example, in a collaborative project with climate researchers, his team discovered that econometric techniques for trend breaks and gradual changes are highly suitable for modelling the evolution of atmospheric particles. Smeekes wants to promote interdisciplinary research at The Young Academy as well.