Kartik B. Athreya is director of research and head of the Research and Statistics Group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is also a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee.
Athreya has served in economic research leadership roles for over 10 years and has over two decades of experience as an economist within the Federal Reserve System. As director of research and head of the Research and Statistics Group, he is responsible for overseeing the New York Fed’s research and policy analysis in the areas of financial intermediation, financial stability, household and public policy, and monetary policy. He is also responsible for managing the collection of financial and bank structure data within the Data and Statistics Function.
Prior to joining the New York Fed, Athreya was executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, where he led economic research, regional analysis, and community outreach efforts. He also served as a senior member of the leadership team and advised the Bank’s president on matters related to monetary policy, banking, and financial markets.
Athreya’s research interests are in macroeconomics and consumer finance. His current research is focused on measuring economic risks to individuals and households, and understanding their importance for household investment decisions and financial distress. Athreya’s work has been published in a variety of academic journals, including the Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Monetary Economics, American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, and International Economic Review. He has taught doctoral courses at the University of Virginia, and previously served as an associate editor at the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control. He is the author of Big Ideas in Macroeconomics: A Nontechnical View (2013, MIT Press).
Athreya earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Iowa, and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Iowa State University.