Kannan Narayanaswamy - University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

Kannan is a second-year PhD student in economics at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, with strong interests in development economics, education, and applied empirical research. He previously completed a master’s degree in economics at the Barcelona School of Economics, where his thesis received the highest distinction and was conditionally accepted for publication. Prior to UIUC, he worked as a Research Associate at J-PAL South Asia, collaborating with faculty from MIT and Yale on large-scale development and education interventions, gaining extensive experience in field and empirical research. At UIUC, he serves as a Teaching Assistant for Principles of Macroeconomics, leading multiple discussion sections for students from diverse academic backgrounds and supporting instruction through regular office hours.