Pablo Peña

Pablo Peña serves as an Associate Instructional Professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics within the University of Chicago's College, a position held since 2019. His academic work bridges theoretical economics with real-world applications through experimental and quasi-experimental methodologies.

His educational credentials include a Bachelor's degree from ITAM in Mexico and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Peña's research centers on human capital formation, applied price theory, and empirical economic analysis. He investigates how behavioral patterns and structural factors influence economic decisions, with particular emphasis on relative age effects across educational, labor, and health contexts. His methodological approach combines large-scale dataset analysis with experimental designs to generate actionable insights for policymakers and organizations.

His publication portfolio reveals consistent exploration of birth-timing effects on life outcomes, spanning educational achievement, incarceration rates, celebrity status, and health behaviors. Additional research threads examine consumer responses to political events, pandemic-related violence patterns, and psychological trait measurement in economic contexts.

Peña maintains active engagement with practical economic applications through his co-founding of Microanalitica, a consulting firm delivering data-driven intelligence to public and private sectors. His prior leadership roles include Director of Private Sector Partnerships at the Development Innovation Lab and head of Economic Studies at Mexico's National Banking and Securities Commission, where he addressed antitrust, financial regulation, and development policy.

He contributes to academic instruction through courses including Human Capital and the Economy (ECON 26040), Introduction to Econometrics (ECON 11020), and Elements of Economic Analysis sequences, shaping both undergraduate and graduate economic education at UChicago.