Brookings Institution Appoints Gopi Shah Goda as Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and Director of the Retirement Security Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Brookings Institution has announced today that Gopi Shah Goda has been appointed director of the Retirement Security Project, the Alice M. Rivlin Chair in Economic Policy, and senior fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings. She will start on October 1, 2024. 

Announcing the appointment, Ben Harris, vice president and director of the Economic Studies program and former director of the Retirement Security Project, said, “Gopi Shah Goda has established herself as a top economist at the intersection of academic research and public policy—with a notable focus on timely issues related to health, retirement, and public finance. Her expertise and insight will be an invaluable asset to the Brookings Institution and the Retirement Security Project, in addition to the broader economic policy community.” 

Goda is currently a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and an Associate Professor of Health Policy and Professor of Economics (by courtesy) at Stanford University. She is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.  She has served on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Council of Economic Advisors since January 2024 and was a senior economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers from July 2021 to July 2022. Her work focuses on how policy can best support aging individuals, and how to ensure public programs serving older populations remain sustainable. Her research also explores how people make retirement, financial, and healthcare decisions as they grow older.  She received her Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. 

“Gopi is a polished talent in the world of economics,” said William G. Gale, the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy and Senior Fellow in Brookings’ Economic Studies program. “Her experience in academia and the public sector is a great match for the Retirement Security Project, particularly as challenges like health care reform, and the solvency of Social Security and Medicare grow increasingly urgent. I have no doubt Gopi will lead the Project to greater heights, and I look forward to welcoming her to Brookings.”   

The Retirement Security Project is dedicated to promoting common sense solutions to improve the retirement outcome prospects of millions of American workers. To address challenges facing older populations, RSP proposes research-based policy solutions aimed at helping middle- and low-income Americans to better prepare for a financially secure retirement.