Seth Porter

2025 Peak Prize: Undergraduate Researcher of the Year Award Nominee

John M. Huntsman School of Business

Economics and Finance

Seth Porter was born and raised in Lehi, Utah. After graduating from Karl G. Maeser Academy in May 2019 he left for an LDS mission to the Philippines. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Seth's mission was cut short and he was sent home in March 2020. Seth enrolled in USU starting in Fall 2020. Seth's initial plans in college were to earn a degree in finance; however, he eventually decided to pursue a PhD in economics. To prepare for graduate school, Seth has taken and excelled in graduate level economics and mathematics courses, going well beyond the requirements for either degree. Seth has also worked extensively on various research projects. He is co-author of a paper with Dr. Palsson that analyzes a land titling program in Haiti. Seth has spent the last 8 months working for the National Bureau of Economic Research with Dr. Meissner of UC Davis. Recently Seth has discovered an enjoyment for research level math. With Dr. Young, he is co-author of a paper on the mathematics of knot theory. While still applying to PhD programs in economics, Seth is now considering graduate school in mathematics as well. He will begin graduate school later this year.