The IMPA Team
Ignacio González
Co-Director of IMPA and Assistant Professor of Economics, American University
Prof. González’s main research focuses on macroeconomics, public finance, and inequality. He obtained his PhD in Economics at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. He also holds a MPhil in Political Philosophy from Pompeu Fabra University, and a BA in Law and a Bsc in Economics from Carlos III University in Madrid. Before joining AU, he was a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia University, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz.
Juan Antonio Montecino
Co-Director of IMPA and Assistant Professor of Economics, American University
Prof. Montecino’s main research focuses on macroeconomics, financial liberalization, and inequality. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has a MSc in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University, and a BA in History from the University of British Columbia. Before joining AU, he was a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia University, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz.
Vasudeva Ramaswamy
Economist, American University
Dr. Vasudeva’s research work focuses on monetary policy and its effects on income and wealth inequality. Prior to starting his PhD, Vasudeva worked in corporate strategy consulting. He received his master’s degree in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD in Economics from American University.
William Mooney
Research Assistant, PhD candidate, American University
Mr. Mooney’s main research focuses on productivity measures and macroeconomic growth theories. Before joining AU, he obtained a M.Sc. in Economics at the University of Leeds and a B.A. in International Affairs at George Washington University. He has previously worked for a Congressional Office and a biotechnology firm in California where he grew interested in policies promoting innovation and growth.
Aina Puig
Research Assistant, PhD student, American University
Ms. Puig’s research focuses on macroeconomics and inequality topics. She has worked on projects studying the distributional effects of monetary policy while visiting the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the International Monetary Fund. She holds a Bsc in Economics from the University of Maryland.
Past Team Members
Lídia Brun
Lídia Brun was Senior Economist at IMPA and a Research Fellow at American University from 2021 to 2023. She is currently an economist at the Fiscal Policy Analysis team at the European Commission’s Joint Research Center in Seville, where she is in charge of the development and maintenance of the Cortax model.
Praveena Bandara
Praveena Bandara was a Research Assistant at IMPA during Academic Year 2022-2023. She is currently a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at Boston University Global Development Policy Center and a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at American University.
Daniela Escobar Lopez
Daniela Escobar Lopez was a Research Assistant at IMPA during the Fall 2023 semester. She is a Graduate Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Economics at American University.
Michael Foster
Michael Foster was a Research Assistant at IMPA during the Fall 2023 semester. He is a Graduate Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Economics at American University.