IMF’s Gita Gopinath to Step Down in August & Rejoin Harvard as Professor

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that its First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD), Gita Gopinath, will resign from the position in August 2025 to go back to Harvard University.

Gopinath will become the first Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard in a highly acclaimed new academic appointment.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva confirmed the transition in the near future and added that Gopinath's replacement would be appointed "in due course."

Gopinath created history when she became the IMF's first-ever female Chief Economist in 2019. Her tenure overlapped with a period of turmoil, as the IMF faced the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic turmoil, and increasing financial instability. As a recognition of her leadership during these formative years, she was promoted to the Fund's second-ranking position—First Deputy Managing Director—in January 2022.

Looking back at her almost seven-year tenure at the IMF, Gopinath reflected on her experience in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). "After almost 7 incredible years at the IMF, I have made the decision to go back to my academic origins. On September 1, 2025, I will return to @HarvardEcon as the first Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics.". I am sincerely thankful for the experience of @IMFnews both as Chief Economist and later as First Deputy Managing Director," she posted.

She added: "I have been privileged to work hand-in-hand with the IMF's outstanding and dedicated staff, management colleagues, the Executive Board, and country officials. I am particularly grateful to @KGeorgieva and her predecessor, @Lagarde, for offering me a career-defining chance to serve the IMF's membership at such a historic time of challenge."

Gopinath also discussed her return to the academic community: "I now return to my academic roots, where I look forward to continuing to advance the research front in international finance and macroeconomics to solve global challenges, and to training the next generation of economists."

Before joining the IMF, Gopinath was a holder of the John Zwaanstra Professorship of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University. Throughout her career, she has been greatly acclaimed as a trailblazer in international economics.

During her time at the IMF, she helped shape policy responses to several global crises—ranging from the pandemic and supply chain disruptions to debt distress in low-income countries and the increasing importance of climate-related financial strategies.

As of now, the IMF has not yet announced who will succeed her in the influential FDMD role.