Ian Heffernan is an assistant professor at the African School of Economics and holds the first joint position with Princeton University in the United States between the two universities. He has recently received the new appointment of Director of Research for IREEP (Institute de Recherche Empirique d’Économie Politique.). In this role he will be supervising research projects from a methodological point of view, making sure that researchers methodology is sound, and review research documents across the Institute.

Mr. Heffernan started at the African School of Economics in 2017 as an assistant professor. In addition to teaching courses on Microeconomics and Topics in Political Economy, Heffernan worked on various funding applications. He holds an MA in Economics from York University and a Ph. D. in Economics from the University of Calgary.

Ian Heffernan brings a wealth of knowledge to the role.  His research on institutions including lab experiments to quantify the independent effect of institutions on behavior, aligns with the research goals and interests of both ASE and IREEP.  His research has also included work estimating the causal effect of sanctions on conflict and work on theoretical economics on redistribution in environments characterized by insecure property rights. His current research focused on modelling the effects of institutions on empowerment.

Heffernan looks forward to working directly with students in his new role as the Director of Research. In particular watching and directing students on their research and helping them to understand how these research experiences can apply to and be used with their own independent research. He enjoys the forward facing mentoring relationship he will be building with students, and the research guidance he will be able to provide.