I am an applied economist with broad experience in academia, think-tanks and policy institutes, including within the United Nations system. I am currently Principal Economist at the Asian Development Bank. Prior to moving to the ADB, I was Professor of Innovation and Globalisation and Deputy Director at UNU-MERIT in Maastricht, the Netherlands (2014-2023), Senior Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) (2009-2014) and Assistant Professor at the University of Vienna (2000-2008).

While my interests fall broadly under the heading of development economics, I have research interests in international trade, innovation and technology, macroeconomics, structural change, economic growth, inequality, and labour economics, among others. Recently, my work has focussed on understanding the drivers and impacts of Global Value Chains, examining the effects of regional cooperation and preferential trade agreements on different dimensions of trade performance, and in identifying the impacts of new technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution on labour market outcomes. Developing research lines include topics related to the content of trade agreements and climate change and the measurement of economic complexity in a world of Global Value Chains.

I have spent most of my career at the intersection of academia and policy-making, working on issues of societal and policy relevance. This work looks to serve both academic and policy audiences and I have been successful in developing both an academic publication record as well as contributing to and leading many policy projects for various different stakeholders, including the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Commission, UNIDO, UNICEF, the UK Department for International Trade, and the Indonesian Ministry of Planning, among others.

Further information on my activities can be found in my CV.