by Cody Mello-Klein, Northeastern Global News
March 10, 2026
Economist Asha Sundaram’s research on globalization and international trade has taken her from the World Bank to educational institutions across the globe.
As the world grapples with the implications of artificial intelligence and challenges around climate change and global conflict, economists must play a more active role in the future, said Sundaram, who was recently welcomed as the new economics department chair at Northeastern University.
“Economics will play a central role in a lot of the transitions that are happening now,” Sundaram said. “What does economics do? It says, ‘How are you going to manage that change?’”
