Biography

Dr. Galina Hale is Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer at FSI, where she leads the organization’s research agenda focused on the economic and financial dimensions of the transition to a global sustainable food system  Her work examines how markets, financial systems, and policy frameworks can accelerate the shift toward sustainable and  resilient global food systems that balances many sustainable development goals. Through FSI and related initiatives, she helps guide research and philanthropic investments aimed at identifying high-impact interventions in all areas affecting food supply and demand around the world.

In addition to her work with FSI, Galina is a Professor of Economics and Coastal Science and Policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is also Faculty Director of the Institute for Social Transformation and Co-Director of the Center for Analytical Finance (CAFIN). Her academic research focuses on climate finance, climate justice, international capital flows, financial stability, and global food system sustainability. She is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). She also serves as Program Director for International Finance and Macroeconomics at the Central Bank Research Association (CEBRA) and is a trustee of the Food System Research Fund (FSRF).

Galina plays an active leadership role in the global economics research community. She is a Co-Editor of the Journal of International Money and Finance,Associate Editor of the Journal of International Economics, was previously  Editor-in-Chief of the Review of World Economies, and serves on the editorial boards of the IMF Economic Review and the Pacific Economic Review. In addition, she is an officer of CREDO (Catholic Research in Economic Dynamics and Organization) and a board member for the Committee on Status of Women in Economics Profession (CSWEP) of the American Economic Association . She has served as an adviser to the MATS program (Making Agricultural Trade Sustainable) sponsored by the European Commission.

Earlier in her career, Galina spent 14 years as an economist and advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, where she conducted research and analysis on China’s economy, international financial markets, and financial stability.  She has also taught at leading academic institutions including Yale and Stanford Universities. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics from University of California at Berkeley, her M.S. in Economics from the New Economic School in Moscow, Russia, and her B.S. in Mathematical Economics from Moscow State University. 

Outside of her academic and research work, Galina is an avid endurance athlete. She has completed numerous marathons and triathlons, including the Ironman triathlon, bringing the same discipline and long-term mindset to her athletic pursuits as she does to her work advancing research-driven solutions for global challenges.