Gita Gopinath quits IMF, to step down by August-end to rejoin Harvard economics faculty

Indian-American economist Gita Gopinath, currently the First Deputy Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is stepping down to return to academia. She will rejoin Harvard University as a professor in the Economics Department.

“After nearly seven amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots,” Gopinath announced on X.

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

Starting September 1, she will assume the newly created position of Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard, marking a new chapter in her illustrious career.

Gita Gopinath, the first woman to serve as Chief Economist at the IMF, said she is “truly grateful” for her time at the institution. She joined the IMF in 2019 and was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director in 2022.

Calling her tenure a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Gopinath said she was proud to serve the IMF during a time of global challenges. “I now return to my academic roots, where I hope to continue advancing research in international finance and macroeconomics, and mentor the next generation of economists,” she said.

Before her IMF role, Gopinath was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard from 2005 to 2022. She previously taught at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business from 2001 to 2005.

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IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised Gopinath as “an outstanding colleague—an exceptional intellectual leader, deeply committed to the Fund’s mission, and a caring, capable manager who inspired our staff.”