International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde has appointed Gita Gopinath as the economic counsellor and director of the IMF’s Research Department.
Gita, who was appointed on Monday, is the first female chief economist of the IMF.
A statement issued by the monetary fund said she will succeed Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld, who announced in July that he would retire at the end of 2018.
She is currently serving as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.
“Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience,” said Lagarde.
She furthered: “All this makes her exceptionally well-placed to lead our Research Department at this important juncture. I am delighted to name such a talented figure as our chief Economist.”
Gita 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 is also the co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics with Former IMF Economic Counsellor Kenneth Rogoff. She has authored 40 research articles about: exchange rates, trade and investment, international financial crises, monetary policy, debt, and emerging market crises.
Gita Gopinath, who was born and raised in India, is a US citizen. She received her PhD in economics from Princeton University in 2001 after earning a BA from the University of Delhi and MA degrees from both the Delhi School of Economics and the 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.
