Mailing Address:
University of Chicago: Department of Economics 
1126 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL
60637
Contact Information
Email: pieters.econ@gmail 
Twitter: @ProfPieters
Mastodon: @ginapieters@econtwitter.net
Office: 428 Saieh Hall
Last Updated: August 19, 2023
Research Interests: ▪ Digital Money, Payments, and Crypto ▪ International Macroeconomics and Trade ▪ Pedagogy in Economics
Download: ​CV
Background (Education/positions/roles)
Education
Ph.D. & MA. Economics. University of Minnesota
B.A. Economics (Highest Honors). University of California, Santa Cruz
B.S. Physics. University of California, Santa Cruz
 
Current Position
2018-Present: Assistant Instructional Professor, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
2022-2023: Associate Fellow (Pedagogy), Chicago Center for Teaching & Learning, The University of Chicago
​
Selected Other Positions/Roles
2023-2025: Committee Member & Newsletter Oversight Editor, American Economic Association - Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession
2023-Present: Founder & Principal Economist, Digital Economy Consulting.
  • Construct country-specific agent-based simulations to forecast the impact of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) launch
  • Co-author policy analysis of a CBDC launch in consultation with a Central Bank. 
  • Discussant for industry panels ​
2022-Present: Co-chair: Cambridge Digital Assets Programme - Emergent Money Systems, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK
2018-Present: Research Fellow, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK
2017-Present: Research Associate, Globalization and Monetary Policy Institute, FRB Dallas
2018-Present:  Member, Board of Directors (multiple 2 yr. terms), International Trade and Finance Association
2016, 06-12:    Visitor, FRB Dallas
2012-2018:      Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
2009-2012:      Visitor, FRB Minneapolis
2007-2012:      Various Teaching positions, Department of Economics, University of Minnesota
Academic Writing
​Unpublished Papers or Work-In-Progress
Cryptoasset Markets and/or Blockchain-enabled Decentralization
  1. “Bitcoin Reveals Exchange Rate Manipulation and Detects Capital Controls”. Media Coverage: The Telegraph, Finance Magnates, Bitcoin News, Breaker Mag
  2. “The Evolution of Crypto-Governance Structures.” Co-authored with Kevin Werbach, Primavera De Filippi, and Josh Tan
Economics Pedagogy or Teaching Practices
  1. “Seeking Teachers? Composition Changes in USA Academic Economics Departments”. Co-authored with Christopher J. Roark
  2. “A Guide to the U.S. Academic Economics Job Market for Teaching-Focused Jobs”. Co-authored with Melanie Fox, Ben Harrell, Nakul Kamur, Dan Lee, & Allison Luedtke.
  3. “Designing Effective Assessments in Economics Courses: Guiding Principles”, Revise and Resubmit at Journal of Economics Education
 
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal Articles
  1. “Taxing Blockchain Forks” joint with Mattia Landoni, Stanford Journal of Law and Blockchain Economics, June 27, 2020
  2. “Financial Regulations and Price Inconsistencies across Bitcoin Markets” with Sofia Vivanco (undergraduate student), Information Economics and Policy, June 2017, v.39(C)
 
Book Chapters
  1. “Digital Currencies and Central Banks”, (Chapter 6), The Palgrave Handbook of Technological Finance, October 2021
  2. "Private and Hybrid Blockchains and Applications" (Chapter 7), with Sean Stein Smith, The Emerald Handbook of Blockchain for Business, 2021, Chapter 6, pp. 83-98
 
Other Academic Publications, Reviewed Notes
  1. “3rd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study”, co-authored with A. Blandin, Y. Wu, T. Eisermann, A. Dek, S. Taylor, and Damaris Njoki. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, September 2020.
  2. “2nd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study”, co-authored with Michel Rauchs, Appoline Blandine, Kristina Klein, Martino Recanatini, and Bryan Zheng Zhang, Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, December 2018.  Media Coverage: Bloomberg
  3. “Distributed Ledger Technology Systems: A Conceptual Framework”, with Michel Rauchs, Andrew Glidden, Brian Gordon, Martino Recanatini, François Rostand, Kathryn Vagneur, and Bryan Zheng Zhang. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, August 2018. Media Coverage: The Register, Crowdfund Insider
  4. “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
  5. “Blockchain Technology Disrupting Traditional Records Systems”, with Christoffer Koch, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Financial Insight, July 2017, v.6(2), pp.1-3
  
Research Honors, Awards, and Recognition 
2018-2020: Ranked in top 1% of economics authors by 12-month downloads on SSRN
2016:      Awarded Trinity University Junior Faculty Sabbatical Leave
2014:      Invited and funded attendee to Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute’s, “Developing the Next Generation of Economic Models of Climate Change”
2012-15: R.R. Witt Faculty Fellowship, Trinity University
2010,11: 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
2009:      Graduate Research Partnership Program Fellowship, University of Minnesota
2006:      Graduate School Fellowship, University of Minnesota
academic conference or seminar presentations
Cryptoasset Markets and Blockchain-enabled Decentralization
Cryptocurrencies, Stablecoins, and Central Bank Digital Currency, Session Panelist
  • 2020: Southern Economic Association (Online)
How have Cryptocurrency Participants Changed?
  • 2019: American Economic Association (Atlanta Meeting) ▪ Texas State University
How Global is the Cryptocurrency Market?
  • 2019: FRB Atlanta: Workshop on Financial Stability Implications of New Technology ▪ Western Economic Association (Vancouver, Canada) ▪
  • 2018: International Trade and Finance Association (Beijing, China) ▪ American Economic Association (Philadelphia)
Bitcoin Reveals Exchange Rate Manipulation and Detects Capital Controls (various working titles)
  • 2019: Lafayette College
  • 2018: De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) ▪ Royal Economic Society Conference (University of Sussex, UK) ▪ Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • 2017: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas ▪ Midwest Macroeconomics Meeting (Fall, Louisiana State University­) ▪ The 49th Money, Macro and Finance Conference (Kings College, London) ▪ Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Workshop (Davidson College) ▪ Western Economic Association (San Diego)
“Financial Regulations and Price Inconsistencies across Bitcoin Markets”
  • 2017: Midwest Macroeconomics Meeting (Spring, University of Pittsburgh)
  • 2016: Western Economic Association (Portland) ▪ Society for Economic Measurement (MIT) ▪ Eastern Economic Association (Washington D.C.) ▪ International Trade and Finance Association (Occidental College)
  • 2015: Southern Economic Association (New Orleans)
 
Economics Pedagogy and Teaching Practices
“Teaching Courses in Macroeconomics and Monetary Policy Through Active Learning” (discussant)
  • 2023: AEA Conference on Teaching and Research in Economics Education (Portland)
“Practical Assessment Design: How to Make Assignments Work for You and Your Students”
  • 2023: The University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning
“The Ancillaries of Undergraduate Economic Education: The Extras Can Make All the Difference” (discussant)
  • 2023: American Economic Association (New Orleans) [AEA-Committee on Economic Education Session]
“Avalanche! A Method to Facilitate Discourse in Classes of Any Size”
  • 2022: Southern Economic Association (Fort Lauderdale) [Presidential Session]
“Actively Selecting Assessment Techniques: Asking the Why” (now titled: Designing Effective Assessments...)
  • 2022: American Economics Association (Boston) 
“Inspiring Ideas in Economics Education” (Session Chair)
  • 2021: TeachECONference 2021
“Exploratory Teaching Groups Colloquium, Economics Teaching Group”
  • 2021: The University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning
“Seeking Teachers? Composition Changes in USA Academic Economics Departments” (old title “Changes in US Academic Economics Departments”)
  • 2021: Southern Economic Conference (Houston)
  • 2021: Robert Morris University 32nd Annual Teaching Economics Conference
  • 2020: Troy University Teaching Symposium in Economics (cancelled due to COVID)
“Social Media Broadens Reach: Our Responsibilities in an Open Classroom” (panel chair and organizer)
  • 2021: AEA Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education
“Formative and Summative Assessment Strategies”
  • 2019, The University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning
“Efficient Strategies for Writing Effective Exams”
  • 2019, The University of Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning ​

Funded and/or Competitive Selection Professional Development Workshops
2023: EnCOREage Workshop, Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
​2022: Pedagogy Fellow, Chicago Center of Teaching
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 Economics Profession), New Orleans
Teaching, Advising, & Mentoring
Instructor of Record Teaching Experience
2018-Present: The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (5 courses/year, 40-150 students, 1 TA per 50 students)
   Standard Courses (9- 10 week courses, offered either entirely In-person or entirely online)
  1. Principles of Macroeconomics (Econ 10200; No calculus or other pre-requisites)
  2. International Monetary Systems (Econ 17110; Prerequisite: Principles of Macro, writing-intensive)
  3. The Elements of Economic Analysis I (Econ 20000; Intermediate Micro: Calc-based Consumer Theory)
  4. The Elements of Economic Analysis II (Econ 20100; Intermediate Micro: Calc-based Producer Theory)
  5. The Elements of Economic Analysis III (Econ 20200; Intermediate Macro: DGE + Beginning MATLAB)
  6. Economic Policy Analysis (Econ 23950; Intermediate Macro: Calculus and MATLAB-based, writing intensive)
 
Intensive Courses (5-week courses)
  1. Cryptoasset Markets (Financial Mathematics Department, FINM 31000, Topics Course)
  2. The Elements of Economic Analysis II (Econ 20100; Calc-based Producer Theory Intermediate Micro)
  3. Economic Policy Analysis (Econ 23950; Calculus and MATLAB-based, writing intensive)
 
Co-taught Courses
  1. MA-Thesis Development Workshop (macroeconomics and finance specialization)
  2. Pathways in Economics, Non-calculus (Econ 12410; High School Summer Program)
  3. Pathways in Economics, Calculus-based (Econ 12411; High School Summer Program)
  4. A Survey of Chicago Economics (Econ 12412; Specialized Summer Survey Program)
 
2012-2018: Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas (6 courses/year, 8-35 students, No TAs or Graders)
  1. Principles of Microeconomics (No calculus or other pre-requisites)
  2. Principles of Macroeconomics (No calculus, Micro-principles pre-requisite)
  3. International Trade (No calc, Micro-principles pre-requisite, writing-intensive: 15 pg. individual research paper)
  4. International Monetary Systems (No calc., Micro-principles pre-requisite, writing-intensive: 15 pg.)
 
2007-2012: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (3 courses/year)
  1. Principles of Macroeconomics:
    • 2010-2012, Lead Instructor (Created and maintained uniform curriculum across 8 instructors); 
    • 2009-2012, Large Lecture Instructor (150-400 students, 2-9 TAs)
  2. Intermediate Macroeconomics (Calculus-based), (15-40 students, 0-1 TAs)
 
Research Advising 
2018-Present: ▪ University of Chicago: ▪ Advising MAPSS Economics Masters students (3-6 Masters students/annual, Masters-level thesis required. Placements include UCLA, NYU, and HKU Econ PhD programs. ▪ Advising Undergraduate Honors Thesis (varies)
 2019-2020: ▪ Research in Color Foundation: Undergraduate research mentor for underrepresented students in Economics (1 student, research poster presentation required)

In-Discipline Mentoring
2019 – Present: Faculty Advisor, University of Chicago Undergraduate Women in Economics RSO
2019-2020: ▪ Research in Color Foundation: Undergraduate research mentor for underrepresented students in Economics (1 student, research poster presentation required)
2019-2020: ▪ Presenter: The University of Chicago College Day Lecture for Chicago Public High School “Bridge to College” program  
2018-2020: ▪ Mentor: CSWEP Breakfast for Early Career Economists
2012-2018: ▪ Trinity University: Advising undergraduate International Economics or General Economics majors (4-8 students/semester) ▪ General Advising of Undeclared-major students (1st years until major declaration: 7-10 students/semester)
​
Notable Supervised Undergraduate Research Outcomes:
2019: D. Gale Johnson award for undergraduate honors thesis (“A Nation of Makers: Endogenous Innovation in Makerspaces” by Won Woo Kim).
2014: 3x acceptance Economics Scholar Program (Presentation and Poster sessions), 1x Southwest Social Science Association (Presentation)

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 The University of Chicago.

Service to the discipline
 Organizer or Selection Committee Member for Research Conference/Seminar Sessions
2023:      ▪ Conference Selection Committee member: 3 x AEA 2024 CSWEP Sessions
2022:      ▪ Co-Editor: Special Edition of the Eastern Economics Journal: “The Economics of Cryptocurrencies and Cryptoassets”
2021:      ▪ Conference Selection Committee member: The Crypto Asset Lab Conference – Investments, Economics, and Regulation for Bitcoin and Crypto-Assets, (Hosted by: University of Milano-Bicocca, joint with DG Joint Research Centre, European Commission)
2019:      ▪ Conference Selection Committee member: Tokenomics: International Conference on Blockchain Economics, Security, and Protocol (Hosted by: Ecole Normale Supérieure) ▪ Conference Selection Committee member: International Trade and Finance Association Annual conference (Hosted by: Università di Pisa) ▪ Panel Organizer: DEconomy Panel on Central Bank Digital Currencies
2018:      ▪ Session Organizer: International Banking Economics and Finance Association Cryptocurrency sessions (x2) at Western Economic Association meeting (Vancouver, Canada)

Referee/Reviewer
▪ British Journal of Management ▪ Computational Economics ▪ Czech Science Foundation▪ Eastern Economic Journal ▪ Economics Bulletin ▪ Economic Theory ▪ European Accounting Review ▪ European Journal of Finance ▪ Frontiers in Blockchain Research ▪ Global Financial Journal ▪ Information Economics and Policy ▪ International Review of Economics Education ▪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 ​

​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) ​
service to Public (Guest speaker or media)
Topical Presentations or Panel Member for a non-academic/policymaker audience
2023: ▪ DFW Association for Business Economics (online) ▪ R3 CordaDay (New York City)
2021: ▪ Chicago Financial Forum ▪ Wharton Crypto-Governance Group (online)
2020: ▪ Chicago Financial Exchange (online)
2019: ▪ DEconomy (Seoul, South Korea) ▪ Chicago University Blockchain Symposium (Northwestern University) ▪
2018: ▪ Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Education Sessions at Geekdom (San Antonio) ▪ University of Cambridge, Centre for Alternative Finance Launch of Global Cryptoasset Reports (hosted by CME Group, Chicago) ▪ National Association for Business Economics (NABE) - Dallas Chapter ▪ ​San Antonio Texas A&M Club ▪ FinTech DC (IMF, Washington DC)
2017: ▪ San Antonio Business and Economics Society Luncheon Speaker (SABES)
2015: Faculty Research Presentation for Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity, Trinity University
 
Invited Guest Speaker in a University Class
2021: ▪ The Ohio State University, Principles of Macroeconomics
2020: ▪ The University of Chicago, LAWS 42505: Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies ▪ The University of Chicago, Econ 13000: Money and Banking ▪ Pitzer College, Economics Senior Seminar
2019: ▪ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Finance 490: Fintech: ▪ Pitzer College, Economics Senior Seminar ▪ The University of Chicago, Econ 13000: Money and Banking ▪ The University of Chicago, Econ 23040 ▪ The University of Chicago, Cryptocurrencies ▪ The University of Chicago, MPSC 56600: Intro to Blockchain (MPSC=MA Program in Computer Science) 
2018: ▪ The University of Chicago, Research Experience for Undergraduates (Economics Department)

Media Interview: Audio (Radio or Podcast)
Media Interview: Written or Quoted
Opinion Pieces
service to the university
The University of Chicago
2022-2023 (To August 2023): ▪ Associate Fellow: Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning ▪ Committee Member: Ad-Hoc Committee on Exam Accommodation for Students with Disabilities ▪ Committee Member: Econ MA Thesis (3 papers) ▪ Committee Member: Public Policy Undergraduate Thesis (1 paper) ▪ Faculty Advisor: Blockchain Chicago RSO ▪ Faculty Advisor: Undergraduate Women in Economics RSO ▪ Letters of Recommendation, (22 students, most with multiple letters)  ▪ Organizer: Oversaw Undergraduate and MA department TA and Grader hiring ▪ Organizer: Fall Macro MA Thesis Workshop▪ Mentor: Professional Development Lunch for Female PhD Students, Post Docs, Senior Research Associates and Faculty ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (43 applications) ▪ Preceptor-Advisor: ECON MA students (5 advisees)
 
2021-2022: ▪ Committee Chair: Econ MA Thesis (6 papers)  ▪ Committee Member: Econ MA Thesis (4 papers) ▪ Faculty Advisor: Blockchain Chicago RSO ▪ Faculty Advisor: Undergraduate Women in Economics RSO  ▪ Feedback: MAPSS MA Thesis proposal presentations ▪ Grader: Undergraduate Economics Placement Exam ▪ Letters of Recommendation, (9 students, some with multiple letters) ▪ Organizer: Oversaw all Undergraduate and MA department TA and Grader hiring ▪ Mentor: Professional Development Lunch for Female PhD Students, Post Docs, Senior Research Associates and Faculty ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (37 applications) ▪ Organizer: Fall Macro MA Thesis Workshop ▪ Preceptor-Advisor: ECON MA students (5 advisees)
 
2020-2021: ▪ Faculty Advisor: Undergraduate Women in Economics RSO ▪ Feedback: MAPSS MA Thesis proposal presentations ▪ Grader: Undergraduate Economics Placement Exam ▪ Judge: Oeconomica Metrics Game ▪ Letters of Recommendation, (14 students, some with multiple letters) ▪ Mentor: Professional Development Lunch for Female PhD Students, Post Docs, Senior Research Associates and Faculty ▪ Organizer: Oversaw all Undergraduate and MA department TA and Grader hiring ▪ Preceptor-Advisor: ECON MA students (5 advisees) ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (41 applications) ▪  Thesis 2nd Reader: MAPSS Econ MA Thesis (2 papers)
 
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 ▪ Grader: 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) ▪ Mentor: Professional Development Lunch for Female PhD Students, Post Docs, Senior Research Associates and Faculty▪ Organizer: Created and implemented a method for all department TA and Grader hiring  ▪ Preceptor-Advisor: ECON MA students (4 advisees) ▪ 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 ▪ Preceptor-Advisor: ECON MA students (6 advisees) ▪ Reviewer: MAPSS-Econ applications (36 applicants) ▪ Thesis 2nd Reader: MAPSS Econ MA Thesis (5 papers)

 
Trinity University (selected service)
2012-2018: ▪ Founder and Organizer of Trinity University Junior Faculty Research Workshop ▪ Junior Faculty Recruitment (Economics Dept.) ▪ University Lecturers & Visiting Scholars Committee ▪ Department Representative for various events