Download: ​CV
Mailing Address:
University of Chicago: Department of Economics 
1126 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL
60637
Contact Information
Email: pieters.econ@gmail 
Twitter: @ProfPieters
Office: 428 Saieh Hall
Last Updated: August 14, 2020
Research Interests: Cryptoeconomics, Blockchain, International Macroeconomics
Citizenship: USA (Citizen), South Africa (Citizen), New Zealand (Permanent Resident)
Languages: English (Fluent), Afrikaans (Native)

Current Academic/Scholarly Positions​ Selected Past Positions
  • August, 2018-August, 2019: Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2017-June, 2018: Research Fellow, Centre for Blockchain Technology, University College London (UCL CBT)
  • ​2016: June-December: Visitor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas​
  • August, 2012-May, 2018: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
  • 2009-2012: Visitor, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis​
Education
  • Ph.D. Economics. University of Minnesota
  • M.A. Economics. University of Minnesota
  • B.A. Economics, Highest Honors. University of California, Santa Cruz
  • B.S. Physics. University of California, Santa Cruz

 Research (descriptions)

In Progress
  1. N Countries, N+1 Currencies: A model of global cryptocurrency trade
  2. “How does Income Inequality Affect Import Prices?”
  3. ​“Crypto Curiosity and Crypto Demand: How strongly are they related?”, joint with Mia Yammine and Calvin Usiri
  4. “Are Cryptocurrency Markets Price Efficient? Depends on the data source”
  5. “Cross-Country Distribution of Power and Exposure in the Crypto-Market”
  6. "Central Banks and Digital Currencies", chapter for Palgrave Handbook of Alternative Finance
  7. Bitcoin Reveals Exchange Rate Manipulation and Detects Capital Controls, Media Coverage: The Telegraph, Finance Magnates, Bitcoin News

​Published or Forthcoming
Standard Academic Journal Articles 
  1. Financial Regulations and Price Inconsistencies across Bitcoin Markets, with Sofia Vivanco (Trinity Undergraduate Student), Information Economics and Policy, June 2017, v.39, pp. 1-14​ 
  2. Taxing Blockchain Forks, joint with Mattia Landoni, Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law and Policy, forthcoming.
Reports
  1. 3rd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study (2020), with A. Blandin, Y. Wu, T. Eisermann, A. Dek, S. Taylor, Damaris Njoki. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.
  2. 2nd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study (2019), with M. Rauchs, A. Blandin, K. Klein, M. Recanatini, and BZ. Zhang. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.
  3. Distributed Ledger Technology Systems: A Conceptual Framework (2018), with Rauchs, M., Glidden, A., Gordon, B., Recanatini, M., Rostand, F., Vagneur, K., and Zhang, B. Z. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.  Media Coverage: The Telegraph, Finance Magnates, Bitcoin News
  4. “Blockchain Technology Disrupting Traditional Records Systems”, with Christoffer Koch, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Financial Insight, July 2017, v.6(2)​, pp. 1-3
  5. ​The Potential Impact of Decentralized Virtual Currency on Monetary Policy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Globalization and Monetary Policy Institute 2016 Annual Research Report, April 2017, pp. 20-25

Academic Conference or Seminar Presentations
  • 2020: ▪ American Economic Association (San Diego, discussant only) ▪ AEA Conference on Teaching Research and Economic Education (cancelled due to COVID)  ▪ ​ Southern Economics Association (Online)
  • 2019: ▪ American Economic Association (Atlanta) ▪ Texas State University ▪ Lafayette College ▪
  • 2018: ▪ American Economic Association (Philadelphia) ▪ De Nederlandsche Bank ▪ FRB Atlanta: Workshop on Financial Stability Implications of New Technology ▪ FinTech DC (IMF, Washington DC) ▪ Annual International Trade and Finance Association (Beijing, China) ▪ Royal Economic Society Conference (University of Sussex, UK) ▪ Western Economic Association (Vancouver, Canada) ▪
  • 2017:  ▪ Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas ▪ International Trade and Finance Association (Poznan University, Poland) ▪ Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Workshop (Davidson College) ▪ Midwest Macroeconomics Meeting (Spring, University of Pittsburgh­) ▪ Midwest Macroeconomics Meeting (Fall, Louisiana State University) ▪ Money, Macro and Finance Conference (Kings College, London) ▪ Society for Economic Measurement (MIT) ▪ Western Economic Association (San Diego) ▪
  • 2016: ▪ Eastern Economic Association (Washington D.C.) ▪ International Trade and Finance Association (Occidental College) ▪ Western Economic Association (Portland) ▪
  • 2015: ▪ Eastern Economic Association (x2 papers) (New York City) ▪ Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Workshop (Union College, discussant only) ▪ Southern Economic Association (New Orleans) ▪
  • 2014:  ▪ Association for Public Economic Theory (University of Washington) ▪ Midwest International Economics Group (Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis) ▪ Southern Economic Association (Atlanta) (x2 papers) ▪
  • 2011: ▪ 11th Annual Missouri Economics Association and Washington University's Conference (Washington University in St. Louis) ▪
  • 2010: Society for Economic Dynamics (Vancouver) ▪
Organized Conference or Selection Committee Member for Conference/Seminar Sessions
  • 2019:  Tokenomics: International Conference on Blockchain Economics, Security, and Protocol (Hosted by: Ecole Normale Supérieure) ▪ International Trade and Finance Association Annual conference (Hosted by: Università di Pisa) ▪ DEconomy Panel on Central Bank Digital Currencies
  • 2018:  International Banking Economics and Finance Association Cryptocurrency sessions (x2) at Western Economic Association meeting (Vancouver, Canada)
​​Research Honors, Grants, and Awards
  • 2019, April: Ranked #2,430 out of 325,991 authors by 12-month downloads on https://www.SSRN.com
    2019, April: Ranked #173 out of 29,211 economics authors by 12-month downloads on SSRN (top 0.01%)
  • 2016, Fall: Awarded Junior Faculty Sabbatical Leave (Trinity University)
  • 2016-Current:   Posted paper is top 10 by download within subject category on SSRN (29 times across 7 papers). 
  • 2014: Invited and funded attendee to Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute “Developing the Next Generation of Economic Models of Climate Change”
  • 2012-2015: R.R. Witt Faculty Fellowship, Trinity University
  • 2010, 2011: Travel Grant, Department of Economics, University of Minnesota
  • 2009: Second Place, Hardy Third Year Paper Competition for "Learning about Growth", joint with Andy Glover. Department of Economics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2009: Graduate Research Partnership Program Fellowship, University of Minnesota
  • 2006: Graduate School Fellowship, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Professional Development or Workshops
2019: Wharton Cryptogovernance Workshop, San Francisco
2017: Liberty and the War on Cash, sponsored by Liberty Fund, San Antonio.
2015: CeMENT Mentoring for Junior Faculty at Liberal Arts, sponsored by CSWEP (Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession), New Orleans.

Teaching (evaluations)

Teaching And Advising Experience
  • University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (5 courses/year, 40-150 students, 1 TA+grader), 2018-Present
    • Advising: Honors Undergraduate students (varies, undergraduate thesis)
    • Advising: Terminal Economics Masters students (3-6 students, Masters-level thesis required)
    • Core Courses: Principles Macroeconomics; Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics (Calculus-based), Cryptoassets
  • Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas (6 courses/year, 8-30 students, no TA's or graders), 2012-2018
    • Advising: Economics Majors, International Economics or General concentration (4-8 students/semester)
    • Advising: First Year Students (7-10 students/semester)
    • Core Courses: Principles of Microeconomics; Principles of Macroeconomics (No calculus)
    • Specialized Courses: International Trade; International Monetary Systems (No calculus, research paper requirement)
  • University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (3 courses/year), 2007-2012​
    • Core ​Courses: Principles of Macroeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics
      • 2010-2012: Lead Instructor (Create and maintain uniform material across 8 instructors)
      • 2009-2012: Large Lecture Instructor (150-400 students, 2-9 TA’s)
      • 2008-2012: Instructor (15-40 students, 0-1 TA’s)
      • 2007-2008: Teaching Assistant (35 students, 3 sections/semester)

​Teaching-Based Presentations
2019: ​“Formative and Summative Assessment Strategy”, University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning; ▪ “Efficient Strategies for Writing Effective Exams”, University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning

Invited Topical Guest Speaker to Undergraduate Classes
  • 2020: University of Chicago, LAWS 42505: Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies ▪ University of Chicago, Econ 13000: Introduction to Money and Banking
  • 2019: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Finance 490: Fintech: ▪ Pitzer College, Economics Senior Seminar ▪ University of Chicago, Econ 13000: Introduction to Money and Banking ▪ University of Chicago, Econ 23040 ▪ University of Chicago Cryptocurrencies ▪ University of Chicago MPSC 56600: Intro to Blockchain (MPSC=Masters Program in Computer Science) 
  • 2018: University of Chicago, Research Experience for Undergraduates (Economics Department Sessions)

Teaching Honors and Awards* 
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2011: Walter W. Heller Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Liberal Arts
  • 2010: Walter W. Heller Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Liberal Arts
  • 2008-2012: Distinguished Instructor, awarded 8 times
  • 2008: Distinguished Teaching Assistant
  *Not eligible for teaching awards at Trinity University or University of Chicago
​
Notable Supervised Undergraduate Students Research Outcomes
  • 2019: D. Gale Johnson award for honors thesis (“A Nation of Makers: Endogenous Innovation in Makerspaces” by Won Woo Kim).
  • 2014: 3 x Economics Scholar Program (Presentation and Poster sessions), 1 x Southwest Social Science Association (Presentation)

University or Expertise Service

Referee for
​▪ British Journal of Management ▪ Czech Science Foundation ▪ Eastern Economic Journal ▪ Economics Bulletin ▪ Economic Theory ▪ European Journal of Finance ▪ Frontiers in Blockchain Research ▪ Information Economics and Policy ▪ Journal of Economic Insight ▪ Journal of International Economics ▪ Journal of International Money and Finance ▪ Sage Open ▪ Swiss National Science Foundation ▪ Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance ▪

Media Interviews
  • 2020:  Cointelegraph, "Happy Birthday dead Bitcoin: Crypto's first white paper turns 12" (October 2020) ▪ "The Block, “Negative interest rates have arrived in the U.S. Stablecoin issuers say they’ll maintain 1:1 parity with the dollar” (April, 2020) ▪ BBC "The Digital Human": Oops (an episode on Bitcoin Mining) (February 24) Nikkei: Digital currency collaborative research, interviews with American experts (January 22)
  • 2019: Breaker Mag: Economists Are Missing a Trick With Crypto (April 15) ▪ The Block: Mad Crypto: Hypothesizing bitcoin in a downcycle (August 7) ▪ CoinDesk: What is a Cryptocurrency? We Need Clearer Definitions (December 31)
  • 2018: Texas Public Radio (TPR) "The Source" (panel member on a call-in show): "Cash, Credit, Cryptocurrency: How Do You Choose To Pay?" (January 2) ▪ Scholars' Circle Radio Show: "Cryptocurrency, Insights from Scholars" (April 15) ▪ ​WBEZ Chicago - Worldview: "What is Blockchain Technology and Why Should We Care?" (July 30)
  • 2017: National Public Radio (NPR) Marketplace: "Why pay a ransom in bitcoin?" (May 15) ▪ NPR Marketplace Tech: "The rise of cryptocurrencies" (June 22) ▪ ​ The Street: "How Fidelity Is Normalizing Bitcoin" (August 10) ▪ Experian: "What is Bitcoin and should you buy it?" (September 12)
  • 2014: Trinity Alumni Magazine: "Bitcoin: Should You or Shouldn't You?"

Presentations/Panels to a general audience
  • 2020: ▪ Chicago Financial Exchange (online)
  • 2019: DEconomy (Seoul, South Korea) ▪ Chicago University Blockchain Symposium (Northwestern University) 
  • 2018: National Association for Business Economics (NABE)-Dallas Chapter ▪ Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Education Sessions at Geekdom ▪ ​​CCAF Launch of Global Cryptoasset Reports (CCAF, hosted by CME Group) ▪  ​San Antonio A&M Club ▪ Research Experience for Undergraduates (U Chicago Economics)
  • 2017: San Antonio Business and Economics Society Luncheon Speaker
  • 2015: Faculty Research Presentation for Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity (Trinity University)

University of Chicago Service (2018-Present)
  • 2019-2020: ▪ Committee Member: Macroeconomics Curriculum Review ▪ Contributor: Online-teaching methods and materials documents for UChicago Economics department ▪ Faculty Advisor: Undergraduate Women in Economics RSO ▪ Examiner: Undergraduate Economics Placement Exam ▪ Feedback: Mock Presentation of UChicago Fed Challenge Team ▪ Feedback: MAPSS MA Thesis proposal presentations ▪ Interviewer, on-campus: Economics Lecturer, Rank 3 (4 candidates) ▪ Judge: Oeconomica Metrics Game (cancelled) ▪ Letters of Recommendation, (13 students, some with multiple letters) ▪ Organizer: Created and implemented a method for all department TA and grader hiring ▪ Presenter: Fall Family Weekend: Model Class “Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain”▪ Post-address colloquium: AIMS of Education ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (23 applicants) ▪ Thesis 2nd Reader: MAPSS Econ MA Thesis (5 papers) ▪ Training: How to use Gradescope for online assignments
  • 2018-2019: ▪ Examiner: Undergraduate Economics Placement Exam ▪ Feedback: Mock Presentation of UChicago Fed Challenge Team ▪ Feedback: MAPSS MA Thesis proposal presentations ▪ Interviewer, first round: Lecturer Recruitment (Economics Dept.) ▪ Interviewer, on-campus round: Lecturer Recruitment (Economics Dept.) ▪ Judge: Oeconomica Metrics Game (first round) ▪ Letters of Recommendation, (3 students, some with multiple letters) ▪ Organizer: Summer Teaching Schedule ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (36 applicants) ▪ Thesis 2nd Reader: MAPSS Econ MA Thesis (5 papers)
​
Trinity University Service (2012-2018)
  • 2015-2017: Founder and Organizer of Trinity University Junior Faculty Research Group
  • 2015: Junior Faculty Recruitment (Economics Dept.)
  • 2013-2018: Member, Trinity University Lecturers & Visiting Scholars Committee
  • 2012-2018: Department Representative for various events

Other Service
2020: Research in Color, undergraduate research mentor
2019:   Mentor: CSWEP Breakfast for Early Career Economists

Textbook Reviewer
  • Sachs, Jeffery and Gordon McCord. 2009 Principles of Economics and Global Sustainable Development. Addison-Wesley: Boston (Prospectus Review)
  • Cowen, Tyler and Alex Tabarrok, 2009. Modern Principles of Economics. Worth Publishers: New York
  • Williamson, Stephen, 2009. Macroeconomics, 3rd Edition. Addison-Wesley: Boston (Pre-revision review)

Professional Organization Memberships
American Economic Association ▪ Central Bank Research Association ▪ International Banking, Economics, and Finance Association ▪  ​International Trade and Finance Association.