Indian-origin Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath has been appointed the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the international organisation tweeted. She replaces outgoing chief economist MauryObstfeld, who will retire in December, IMF said.
Gita Gopinath is the Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University. Her research focuses on international finance and macroeconomics. Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience.
Gopinath is the co-editor of the American Economic Review and co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). She has authored some 40 research articles on exchange rates, trade and investment, international financial crises, monetary policy, debt, and emerging market crises.
Gopinath was born and bought up in India. She is a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India. She received her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after earning a B.A. from the University of Delhi and M.A. degrees from both the Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She joined the University of Chicago in 2001 as an Assistant Professor before moving to Harvard in 2005. She became a tenured Professor there in 2010.
In 2014, she was named one of the top 25 economists under 45 by the IMF and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011.
