Biography

Elena Pesavento is a Full Professor in the Department of Economics at Emory University. She holds a BS in Statistics from the University of Padua and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Her research specializes in Time Series Analysis, focusing on inference and testing in Vector Autoregressive (VAR) models. Her scholarly work explores the challenges of inference when variables exhibit non-stationarity (unit roots, cointegration, or structural breaks), as well as high persistency (local to unity). More recently, the focal point of her research is the analysis of non-linear models, concentrating on the identification and estimation of impulse response functions in non-linear VARs.

With a BS in Statistics, her passion for making statistics accessible and engaging for students inspires her teaching of both the undergraduate and graduate level. Elena’s commitment to education is matched by her dedication to faculty governance at Emory, where she has held various leadership roles within the Emory College. She currently serves as the Director of the Economics Department’s Women in Leadership Program, which is dedicated to inspiring and equipping the next generation of leaders with essential leadership skills.

Outside of her academic life, Elena is an avid dog agility competitor, channeling the same discipline and enthusiasm she brings to her research into her sport.