Meet Dr. Gita Gopinath: The Esteemed Economist Returning To Harvard After Leading At The IMF (Image: X/GitaGopinath)
Dr. Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has announced her decision to step down from her position and return to academia. Sharing the news on social media, Dr. Gopinath wrote, “After nearly 7 amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots…”
After nearly 7 amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots. On September 1, 2025, I will rejoin @HarvardEcon as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics. I am truly grateful for my time at @IMFnews, first as Chief Economist and then…
— Gita Gopinath (@GitaGopinath) July 21, 2025
Her departure marks the end of a transformative chapter at the IMF, during which she played a central role in shaping global economic policy amid unprecedented crises.
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Beginning September 1, 2025, Dr. Gita Gopinath will rejoin Harvard University’s Department of Economics as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics, bringing her unparalleled experience and insight back to the classroom and research.
Born in Kolkata in 1971 and raised in Mysuru, Karnataka, Gita Gopinath’s journey from South India to the upper echelons of global economics is as awe-inspiring as it is pathbreaking.
She studied at the University of Delhi and the Delhi School of Economics before moving to the U.S. for her master’s degree at the University of Washington, eventually earning her PhD from Princeton University.
Her academic brilliance was soon recognised globally. She taught at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business from 2001 to 2005, before moving to Harvard University, where she served as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics from 2005 until her appointment to the IMF in 2019.
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Gopinath’s entry into the IMF in 2019 as its Chief Economist was historic; not only was she the first woman to ever hold that position, but she was also among the very few women of colour to rise so high in a global financial institution.
Her tenure coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in modern economic history: the COVID-19 pandemic. She played a central role in designing the IMF’s Pandemic Plan, a strategy that provided a global blueprint for ending the crisis, particularly in the developing world.
Her work helped mobilise efforts for mass vaccinations and financial aid to vulnerable economies, and she was widely lauded for blending rigorous academic insight with actionable policy.
In 2022, she was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director, the IMF’s second-highest office, where she worked closely with Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
In her own words, Dr Gita Gopinath described her decision as a return to her “academic roots.” Despite her towering success on the world stage, the call of research and classroom engagement remained irresistible.
She has also served as a Financial Advisor to the Chief Minister of Kerala, contributed extensively to global debates on sovereign debt, international pricing, and currency dynamics, and continues to be a reference point in contemporary macroeconomic discourse.
