Elisa Cavatorta

Elisa Cavatorta is a Professor of Economics and Vice Dean (International) at King's College London's Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy. She leads international academic partnerships, oversees global initiatives, and teaches in the Department of Political Economy. Previously, she held postdoctoral roles at SOAS and the Institute for Fiscal Studies after earning her PhD in Economics from Birkbeck, University of London.

Her research focuses on conflict dynamics, preference formation under violence, and policy evaluation. Methodologically, she employs experimental economics, RCTs, and machine learning. Key areas include Middle Eastern conflict resolution, healthcare access barriers, and behavioral responses to violence. She has secured funding from the Qatar National Research Foundation, Emirates Foundation, and AXA Research Fund.

As Vice Dean, she manages international collaborations, oversees student mobility programs, and administers global partnership agreements. Notable initiatives include dual-degree programs and cross-university research competitions.

• Key Research Themes: Conflict Economics, Behavioral Public Policy, Development Interventions
• Regional Expertise: Middle East, South Asia

Her recent work explores peace agreement preferences among Israelis/Palestinians and the cognitive impacts of digital anxiety treatments. She co-leads King's Virtual Reality Lab for mental health innovation and chairs the Political Economy of Peace research group.