Catherine Schenk

Professor Catherine Schenk holds the Professorship of Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow's Faculty of History, appointed in 2017. She is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House's International Economics Department and a fellow of St Hilda’s College. Her academic journey includes a BA/MA from the University of Toronto and a PhD from LSE, where she won prestigious research prizes.

Her research focuses on post-1945 international monetary and financial relations, particularly East Asia and the UK. Major works include International Economic Relations since 1945 (2011) and The Decline of Sterling (2010). Current projects explore how policymakers and market actors use historical precedents in decision-making, as seen in the HERA-funded UPIER initiative.

• Key research themes: International banking regulation, post-Bretton Woods systems, currency competition, and crisis learning mechanisms
• Fieldwork: Visits to IMF, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and University of Hong Kong

Her scholarship spans over 50 peer-reviewed articles analyzing topics like the Hong Kong currency board, Basel Committee origins, and 20th-century financial crises. Awards include the Sayers Prize (LSE) and International Economic History Association's best thesis award.

Grants and collaborations include leading the EU-funded UPIER project (2020-2023) and co-editing the Oxford Handbook of Banking and Financial History. She has advised central banks on historical policy comparisons and spoken widely on financial crisis preparedness.