IMF appoints Gita Gopinath as its chief economist

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Gita Gopinath as its chief economist, reports bdnews24.com.

Gopinath currently serves as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.

She will succeed Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld, who announced in July that he would retire at the end of 2018, as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department, the IMF said in a media release on Monday.

"Gita is one of the world's outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said of Gopinath in the release.

"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," Lagarde added.

Born and grown up in India, Gopinath 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.

She is co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics with former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff.

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.