Reza Daniels is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Previously, he was Head of the Department of the School of Economics at UCT and, before that, a Visiting Associate Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi.
He studied at the University of Auckland, the University of Michigan, and the University of Cape Town, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Economics in 2013. His research interests include development economics, environmental economics, and applied econometrics. He has served as Principal Investigator for South Africa’s National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) and the NIDS Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM). He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and frequently acts as an editor for both local and international journals. He is a member of the Economic Society of South Africa, the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society, and the International Statistical Institute. Reza has also consulted for the public and private sectors and international development banks. He is a member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa and has held executive and non-executive roles in the manufacturing, consulting, non-profit, and philanthropy sectors. Additionally, he is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
South Africa