IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath will leave her position at the end of August to return to Harvard University as a professor of economics, the International Monetary Fund said in a statement on Monday.
Gopinath has served as the IMF’s second-ranking official since January 2022. She first joined the fund in 2019 as chief economist, becoming the first woman to hold that role.
The IMF said Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will announce a successor in due course.
Gopinath is an Indian-born U.S. citizen. She left Harvard to join the IMF and is now returning to her academic post.
The decision appears to have been initiated by Gopinath, and the timing surprised some at the IMF.
In her statement, Gopinath said she was grateful for the opportunity to work at the IMF and planned to continue research in international finance and macroeconomics while training future economists.
Georgieva said Gopinath played a key role during major global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shocks from the war in Ukraine. She also led the fund’s analysis on monetary and fiscal policy, debt, trade, and multilateral issues.
Gopinath’s departure gives the U.S. administration an opportunity to influence the choice of her replacement. It also comes as President Donald Trump seeks changes in global economic policy, including new tariffs on imports.
Harvard, where Gopinath is returning, has recently been under scrutiny by the Trump administration over its governance, hiring, and admissions practices.
