Catherine R Schenk

Professor Catherine R Schenk is a Professor of Economic & Social History at the University of Oxford, affiliated with St Hilda's College. Her work focuses on post-1945 international economic relations, monetary systems, and China's global economic engagement. She holds visiting roles at institutions like the Bank of England and the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research. She earned her PhD in Economic History from the London School of Economics after degrees at the University of Toronto. Her ERC-funded project GloCoBank explores global correspondent banking from 1870–2000. She has authored seminal works like International Economic Relations Since 1945 and The Decline of Sterling.

Research interests emphasize transitions in international currencies, financial regulation, and Hong Kong's role in China's economic diplomacy. Awards include a Fellowship at the Centre for Economic Policy Research. She teaches graduate courses on international money and finance, and undergraduate modules on quantification in history. Current research includes the historical governance of the Bank for International Settlements.

Her articles analyze topics like central bank cooperation, Asia dollar markets, and lessons from past crises. She advises six DPhil students across economic history and global finance. She collaborates with Oxford's Centre for Economic and Social History and leads projects on the global history of capitalism and uses of historical precedents in policymaking.