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Economics Faculty
Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.
Zsolt Becsi, Associate Professor of Economics
Ph.D. 1991, Economics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Fields: Macroeconomics, Public Economics
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Office: Faner Hall, 4137
Phone: 618-453-5067
becsi@siu.edu
Chifeng Dai, Associate Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Florida, 2003
Fields: Industrial Organization, Contract Theory, Law and Economics, and Applied Econometrics
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![SIU Chifeng Dai](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/dai-c.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4140
Phone: 618-453-5347
daic@siu.edu
Scott Gilbert, Associate Professor, Economics Program Coordinator and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Scott Gilbert received his Bachelors degree from the University of California Berkeley. He completed his coursework there to go to medical school, but found economics so interesting that he instead went to work as a research associate in the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. After working there two years, he completed his Ph.D. in economics at the University of California San Diego. After graduating in 1996, he worked as an assistant professor in economics at the University of Mississippi for three years, then joined SIU Carbondale in year 1999.
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![SIU Scott Gilbert](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/gilbert.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4145
Phone: 618-453-5095
gilberts@siu.edu
Hundanol Kebede, Assistant Professor of Economics
Ph.D., 2020, Economics, University of Virginia
Fields: International Economics, Development Economics
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![SIU Hundanol Kebede](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/kebede.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4138
Phone: 618-453-5072
hundanol.kebede@siu.edu
Sajal Lahiri, Professor of Economics
Sajal Lahiri, Ph.D. earned his doctorate from the Indian Statistical Institute (1977). He worked at the University of Essex in England (1978-2002) and joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University in 2002 as the Vandeveer endowed chair in Economics and is a distinguished scholar at SIU.
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![SIU Sajal Lahiri](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/lahiri.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4130
Phone: 618-453-9472
lahiri@siu.edu
AKM Mahbub Morshed, Professor of Economics, Director of Graduate Studies
Economics
Ph.D. 2001, University of Washington
Fields: Macroeconomic Theory, Economic Growth, International Economics
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![SIU AKM Mahbub Morshed](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/morshed.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4139
Phone: 618-453-5070
mmorshed@siu.edu
Basharat Pitafi, Visiting Assistant Professor
Office: Faner Hall, 4134
Phone: 618-536-7746
pitafi@siu.edu
Kevin Sylwester, Professor and Director, School of Analytics, Finance, and Economics
Ph.D. 1997, Economics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Fields: Macroeconomics, Economic Growth, Development
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![SIU Kevin Sylwester](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/sylwester.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4141
Faner Phone: 618-453-5075
Office: Rehn Hall, 138A
Phone: 618-453-1421
ksylwest@siu.edu
Alison Watts, Professor of Economics
Ph.D. 1993, Economics, Duke University
Fields: Microeconomics, Game Theory, Law and Economics
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![SIU Alison Watts](../../_common/images/faculty/economics/watts.jpg)
Office: Faner Hall, 4143
Phone: 618-453-5073
wattsa@siu.edu