The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday appointed Indian-origin Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath as its new chief economist.
“International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde appointed Gita Gopinath on Monday as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department,” IMF said in a statement.
“Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience,” Christine said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
Gita will succeed Maurice Obstfeld, who announced in July that he would retire at the end of 2018. She currently serves as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.
Gita is 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 was born and grew up in India. She is a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India. 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 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.
It is important to note Prior to this, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was sole Indian to hold the coveted post at IMF.
