The Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute announced the 2025–2026 cohort of visiting scholars selected to conduct research while in residence at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Institute visiting scholars will research questions that address how to increase economic opportunity for all Americans. These scholars bring with them a broad range of technical expertise and research interests, including household finance, labor markets, survey methodology, and monetary policy.

“Our visiting scholars are an important connection to new ideas and fresh perspectives on our own work. They provide enormous benefits to researchers at the Minneapolis Fed, both inside and outside the Institute,” said Institute Director Abigail Wozniak. “Building these relationships creates value that will persist long after the cohort year concludes.” 

In addition to the Visiting Scholar program, the Institute hosts an annual research conference for academic and policy experts from across the country to discuss leading-edge research related to the Institute’s mission. The 2025 event will take place on November 13.

“Our visiting scholars are leading experts in their respective fields. They bring novel approaches, stimulate intellectual exchange, and collaborate with researchers across the Minneapolis Fed,” said Alessandra Fogli, assistant director for inequality research. “These scholarly engagements enhance the rigor and relevance of our research, helping to inform effective policymaking.”

Since 2017, the Institute has hosted a total of 152 visiting scholars in eight cohorts. The following scholars make up the Institute’s ninth cohort.

2025–2026 visiting scholars

• David E. Altig, Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Shifrah Aron-Dine, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley
• Barbara Biasi, Assistant Professor of Economics, Yale School of Management
• Florin Bilbiie, Professor of Macroeconomics, University of Cambridge
• Laura Castillo-Martínez, Assistant Professor of Economics, Duke University
• Jacelly Cespedes, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
• Ciprian Domnisoru, Assistant Professor of Economics and Data Science, Aalto University
• Lukas Freund, Assistant Professor of Economics, Boston College
• Pamela Giustinelli, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bocconi University
• Kareem Haggag, Assistant Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management
• Christian Hellwig, Professor of Economics, Toulouse School of Economics
• Agustin Hurtado, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Maryland Smith School of Business
• Annamaria Lusardi, Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
• Cedomir Malgieri, Assistant Professor of Economics, Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business
• Olivia S. Mitchell, Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
• Cormac O’Dea, Assistant Professor of Economics, Yale University
• Claudia Olivetti, George J. Records 1956 Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College
• Mark Ponder, Senior Consultant, NERA
• Katherine Richard, Postdoctoral Associate, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
• Moises Yi, Senior Economist, U.S. Census Bureau
• Samuel Young, Assistant Professor of Economics, Arizona State University

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the Federal Reserve System, the nation’s central bank. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is responsible for the Ninth Federal Reserve District, which includes Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis participates in setting national monetary policy, supervises numerous banking organizations, and provides a variety of payments services to financial institutions and the U.S. government.