Faculty News
Krzysztof Karbownik’s Paper Wins Quality of Research Discovery Award from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Krzysztof (Chris) Karbownik, whose American Economic Review paper, "The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality" (joint work with Alex Hollingsworth, Melissa A. Thomasson & Anthony Wray), won the Quality of Research Discovery Award from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
The Quality of Research Discovery Award is granted to encourage excellent publications in fields consistent with the AAEA Vision Statement. A maximum of two awards are given each year. Entries must demonstrate excellence and creativity in research methodology and/or expand the frontiers of applied economics.
Sam Cherribi Receives Georgia P. Cuttino Award for Distinguished Mentoring
Congratulations to Visiting Faculty and Adjunct Professor, Sam Cherribi, on being awarded the George P. Cuttino Award for Distinguished Mentoring by Emory College of Arts & Sciences. The award will be presented at Emory’s 2025 Commencement.
Read more at Emory News: "Teaching professor Sam Cherribi honored with 2025 Cuttino Mentoring Award"
Melvin Ayogu Appointed to the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria
Congratulations to Teaching Professor, Melvin Ayogu, on his appointment to the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Unlike traditional external engagements where concerns focus on possible conflicts of interest, the emphasis here is on aligning interests, fostering collaboration, and, whenever possible, enhancing Emory's capacity to excel.
According to a recent article in The Guardian, "Key points from the Senate screening included Prof. Ayogu’s qualifications and extensive expertise in economic policy and financial management [and] his impeccable professional record." This appointment is to the board of an institution whose mandate includes promoting monetary and financial system stability, serving as the government's financial adviser, and regulating the financial system, among other responsibilities. Additionally, Emory's global footprint in Africa, through its Global Health program in Ethiopia and the Halle Institute for Global Research and Learning's presence in South Africa, along with Dr. Ayogu's new role in Nigeria, spans three countries in the region that are crucial economically and demographically.
Source: “Ayogu joins CBN board after Senate confirmation” by John Akubo, Abuja, The Guardian, March 25, 2025.
Welcome to Keith Robinson as Director of Professionalism and Placement for Masters Programs
We welcome Keith Robinson to our department as he joins our Teaching Faculty. Keith will also serve as Director of Professionalism and Placement for our growing Masters programs.
Tao Zha Appointed to Search Committee for a New Co-editor of Quantitative Economics and as the Scientific Program Chair for the North American Summer Meetings of the Econometric Society in 2026
Congratulations to Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Economics, Tao Zha, who has been appointed to serve on the search committee for a new co-editor of Quantitative Economics, a leading general-interest journal of the Econometric Society. His selection reflects both his standing in the profession and the department’s broader engagement, including its role as host for the upcoming North American Econometric Society meeting.
Dr. Zha was voted by the Econometric Society’s North American Standing Committee to serve as the Scientific Program Chair for the 2026 North American Summer Meetings. Recent Scientific Program Chairs include Petra Todd (2024, University of Pennsylvania), Marzena Rostek (2023, University of Wisconsin–Madison), and Parag Pathak (2022, MIT). The 2026 meetings will be held at Emory University. It is a distinct honor for our department to contribute meaningfully and significantly to the mission of the Econometric Society.
Krzysztof Karbownik's Paper Chosen as Top 3 Paper in Education
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Krzysztof Karbownik, whose 2024 paper "Competitive Effects of Charter Schools" was chosen by Fordham Institute as one of the top 3 papers in education in 2024. It was discussed in the following podcast at minute 24: Fordham Institute Podcast
Stephen O'Connell Awarded Grant to Study Refugees in Jordan
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Stephen O'Connell, who was recently awarded a grant from the International Growth Center for the project titled "The impact of phasing out of the cash assistance on refugee livelihood decisions." Dr. O'Connell is a PI in collaboration with UNHCR Jordan and Professor Onur Altindag (Bentley University) to study livelihoods and well-being among refugees in Jordan. This is a startup grant that intends to lead to full study development and funding opportunities from IGC later on.
New Department of Economics Leadership Appointments for AY2024-25
The Department of Economics announces the following leadership appointments for AY2024-25. A complete list of department leadership can be found here.
Department Associate Chair
David Jacho-Chavez, Professor
Interim Director of Graduate Studies
Ian McCarthy, Associate Professor
Econometric Review Journal Names its Best Paper Award after Esfandiar Maasoumi
Congratulations to Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Economics, Esfandiar Maasoumi, who was honored by Econometric Reviews with the naming of the Esfandiar Maasoumi Best Paper Award given to the best paper, or papers, within a given time frame. A committee formed from the Econometric Reviews; Board of Editors (excluding the Editor-in-Chief) will determine the winner annually.
We are delighted to announce that the first recipient of this award is our colleague from Georgia Tech, Karen Yan.
Kaiji Chen Appointed Fellow of ABFER
Congratulations to Professor, Kaiji Chen, who was recently appointed as a Fellow of the Asian Bureau of Financial and Economic Research (ABFER), the Asian counterpart of NBER and CEPR.
Sara Markowitz Awarded MCRR 2023 Article of the Year
Congratulations to Professor, Sara Markowitz, and co-author, Benjamin J. McMichael, whose article, "Toward a Uniform Classification of Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice Laws" was chosen as the MCRR 2023 Article of the Year by the Journal Medical Care Research and Review.
Elena Pesavento Awarded National Science Foundation Grants
Congratulations to Professor, Elena Pesavento, who was recently awarded $188,548 from the National Science Foundation (*SES and SBE programs) as a 3 year collaborative award with Ana Maria Herrera at University of Kentucky. *Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES); Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE).
This Award funds a research project that will develop econometric methods to estimate the impulse response function that are central to the study of how the economy responds to various changes in nonlinear environments. The research project will also illustrate the performance of the estimators in large and small samples. The results of this research will provide empirical researchers with a general framework for the estimation of dynamic responses in many environments. The research will also develop a statistical software to implement the new estimation method. In addition to its contribution to econometric methods, the results of this research will improve macroeconomic decision making, which will reduce economic fluctuations, increase economic growth, and improve the living standards of citizens.
Melvin Ayogu Awarded Grant from Halle Institute for Global Research
Congratulations to Teaching Professor, Melvin Ayogu, for being awarded the Global Perspectives on Race+, Ethnicity+, and Nation+ grant from The Halle Institute for Global Research.
The award is a programmatic grant (i.e., seed funding) to develop a proposal and research infrastructure to pursue externally funded, innovative research on Silencing the Guns Around Africa. The project, which includes research capacity building, is proposed as a collaborative effort with Africa-based multidisciplinary researchers and institutions, Emory University faculty, and undergraduates with joint majors and/or minors in Economics interested in Africa's Development.
Stephen O'Connell Awarded Grants to Study Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Stephen O'Connell, who was recently awarded $216,279 from the National Science Foundation and $227,885 from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) Displaced Livelihoods Initiative to investigate the effect on social cohesion of an at-scale livelihoods development program for internally displaced persons (IDPs), hosts, and returnees in displacement-affected areas of Iraq. The project was additionally funded by Emory's URC-Halle for 30K from 2024-25. Dr. O’Connell studies the design, implementation, and effectiveness of humanitarian aid programs in post-conflict settings.
Tao Zha's Research Porfolio to Appear in the NBER Reporter
Our department is thrilled to share that Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Economics, Tao Zha, has been invited to submit a portfolio of his recent research for inclusion in an upcoming issue of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Reporter. In addition to his Emory affiliation, Tao Zha is research center executive director of the Center for Quantitative Economic Research in the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). His major fields of study are macroeconomics, financial economics, the Chinese economy, and econometrics.
David Jacho-Chavez Awarded 2024 Inclusive Excellence Award by the Laney Graduate School
Congratulations to Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, David Jacho-Chavez, for being awarded the 2024 Laney Graduate School's Inclusive Excellence Award. The award recognizes extraordinary achievements that help create an environment of inclusive excellence in graduate education. The award was presented at the Third Annual Dean's Address and Awards Ceremony held on April 16, 2024.
Elena Pesavento Awarded 2024 Women of Emory Impact Circle Grant to Support Women in Economics Initiatives
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Elena Pesavento, for being awarded a Women of Emory Impact Circle grant for AY2024-2025 to support Women in Economics initiatives. According to Emory Advancement and Alumni Engagement, the mission of the Women of Emory Impact Circle is to advance causes of women and girls through the power of collective philanthropic giving.
Each year up to 10 grants may be awarded through this process to support programs or projects across the university, including Emory Healthcare, that advance the causes of women and girls at Emory, in Atlanta, and beyond. These grants are intended to seed academic and programmatic efforts.
Margaret (Maggie) Jones Named to Editorial Board at Explorations in Economic History
Congratulations to Assistant Professor, Margaret (Maggie) Jones, on her appointment to the editorial board at Explorations in Economic History.
Pedro Sant'Anna Named Among Top-40 Econometricians at RePEc and Appointed Associate Editor of the Journal of Econometrics
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Pedro Sant'Anna, for making it to the top-40 econometricians at RePEc and being appointed as new Associate Editor of the Journal of Econometrics.
Kyungmin (Teddy) Kim Invited to Serve as Associate Editor for the RAND Journal of Economics
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Kyungmin (Teddy) Kim, for being invited to serve as an associate editor for the RAND Journal of Economics.
The purpose of the RAND Journal of Economics, formerly the Bell Journal of Economics, is to support and encourage research in the behavior of regulated industries, the economic analysis of organizations, and more generally, applied microeconomics. Both theoretical and empirical manuscripts in economics and law are encouraged.