Best Prof: Tavneet Suri

Tavneet Suri at MIT Sloan is among the 40 best business school profs under the age of 40.

Tavneet Suri at MIT Sloan is among the 40 best business school profs under the age of 40.

Tavneet Suri

Assistant Professor of Applied Economics

Age: 32

Institutions: MIT Sloan School of Management

Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya

Marital Status: Single

Children: None

Education: Yale University, PhD, Economics

Yale University, MPhil, Economics

Yale University, MA, Economics

Yale University, MA, International and Development Economics

Trinity College, Cambridge University, BA, Economics

Courses:  Applied Macroeconomics

International Economics

At MIT: Since 2006

Before MIT: Graduate student at Yale University

Fun Fact: I am fluent in English; Punjabi (a language indigenes to the region in the Indian sub-continent that straddles the border between India and Pakistan); and Swahili. I have a fair grasp of Hindi and basic working of knowledge of French.

Tavneet Suris is a development economist who investigates whether improvements in infrastructure, technology, and agriculture lead to improved economies in developing nations. With a regional focus on sub-Saharan Africa, her research currently spans Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. She regularly spends time in the field, managing multiple research projects and on-the-ground data collection. Organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, and MIT’s Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab all rely on Professor Suris’s fieldwork and expertise.

Students Say:

Last January I was preparing to travel to Kenya to conduct research on sanitation in the slums of Nairobi. On the recommendation of a classmate, I emailed Professor Suri to see if she could lend me some advice. She emailed back immediately and enthusiastically invited me to come to her office the next day.

Within minutes of meeting her, she introduced me to her team on the ground in Kenya and instructed them to help me with whatever I needed. She reached out to a variety of important stakeholders in the sanitation space and set up meetings for us. I was simply blown away by her generosity and trust in me. That has continued throughout the past year. Whenever I need help or a recommendation, she has stepped up without any hesitation. — David Auerbach, MIT Sloan MBA, Class of 2011

Professor Suri proposes a perfect balance between theory and practical applications. The way she presents the macro-economic situation of developing countries – especially that of East African countries – is amazing. Her approach uses well-known academic frameworks and illustrates them with precise examples that are country and culture specific. This allows us to gain a clearer vision of the macro economical effects on a particular country. — Aymeric Sarrazin, MIT Sloan MBA, Class of 2011

Tavneet Suri is among “The World’s 40 Best B-School Profs Under the Age of 40

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