Indian-American economist Gita Gopinath, currently serving as the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has announced her decision to step down and rejoin Harvard University. She will return as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Harvard Economics Department starting September 1.
Gopinath shared the news on X, expressing gratitude for her nearly seven-year journey at the IMF, which she called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” She stated that she looks forward to returning to academia to continue her research in international finance and macroeconomics and to mentor the next generation of economists.
Gopinath joined the IMF in 2019 as Chief Economist and made history as the first woman to hold that position. In 2022, she was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director. Before her tenure at the IMF, she was a professor at Harvard from 2005 to 2022 and earlier taught at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
During her time at the IMF, Gopinath played a pivotal role in guiding the institution’s economic policy work through global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rising geopolitical tensions, and inflationary pressures. She led the IMF’s multilateral surveillance and key research on fiscal policy, debt sustainability, and global trade.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised Gopinath as an “exceptional intellectual leader” whose work combined analytical excellence with impactful policy advice. Georgieva noted Gopinath’s leadership during turbulent times and commended her contributions, including her co-authorship of the IMF’s ‘Pandemic Plan,’ which offered actionable solutions to end the COVID-19 crisis by setting global vaccination targets.
Gopinath also played a vital role in representing the IMF at international forums such as the G7 and G20 and ensured that the World Economic Outlook remained a trusted resource during unpredictable global economic shifts.
Her departure marks the end of a significant chapter at the IMF, as she prepares to return to academic life and further her contribution to economic thought and education.
