Joshua Graff Zivin is professor of economics at UC San Diego, where he holds faculty positions in the School of Global Policy & Strategy and the Department of Economics. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Research Director for International Environmental and Health Studies at the Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). In 2004-2005, he served as Senior Economist for Health and the Environment on the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Prior to joining UCSD in 2008, he was an Associate Professor of Economics in the Mailman School of Public Health and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he served as the Director of the PhD Program in Sustainable Development.

Professor Graff Zivin has published numerous articles on a wide range of topics in top economic, policy, and medical journals. His research interests are broad and include the areas of environmental, health, development, and innovation economics. Policy relevance serves as a guiding force behind all of this work. Much of his current work is focused on three distinct areas of research. His work on the impacts of poor environmental quality examines the relationship between the environment, health, and human capital formation, with a particular eye towards behavioral responses to mitigate adverse consequences. His work on the economics of innovation explores the role of institutions, social networks, and financial incentives in the production of new scientific knowledge within the life sciences. His research in developing countries is focused on the design of health interventions and their economic impacts.