Danila Serra

Danila Serra is an Associate Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University, affiliated with both the Department of Economics and the Bush School of Government and Public Service. She holds academic roles including serving as Graduate Placement Director for her department. Her research employs experimental methods to address questions in development, education, labor, and gender economics.

• Education:
  • PhD in Economics, University of Oxford
  • MSc in Economics, London School of Economics
  • BSc in Economics and Social Sciences, Bocconi University

Research Interests: Danila’s work focuses on three pillars: political economy (corruption mechanisms), economics of education (gender disparities in STEM and leadership), and development economics (gender empowerment and public accountability). Her experimental approaches include field and lab-in-the-field studies in contexts like Kenya, Uganda, and India. Notable interventions include role model effects on educational choices and ethics training for police officers in Ghana.

Grants & Collaborations: Her research has been funded by institutions including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, World Bank, and IZA. She is affiliated with J-PAL, IZA, and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.

Awards: Recipient of the 2017 Vernon L. Smith Ascending Scholar Prize and a 2014 best-paper award from Experimental Economics for work on corruption intermediaries.

Teaching & Mentorship: Courses include Economics of Corruption and Behavioral Development Economics. She advises PhD students and co-leads initiatives like the Adopt a Paper program for junior faculty mentorship.

Labs/Teams: Collaborations with global teams on projects in Uganda, Ghana, Peru, and Bangladesh, focusing on gender equality, education policy, and anti-corruption measures.