Dr. Francisco J. Monaldi is a leading expert in energy policy, oil and gas economics, and the political economy of natural resources. He serves as Fellow and Director of the Latin America Energy Program at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, where he leads research on energy policy, energy transitions, and the geopolitics of energy in Latin America.
With more than two decades of academic, policy, and consulting experience, Dr. Monaldi has held faculty and research appointments at some of the world’s most respected institutions, including Rice University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, Tufts University, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and IESA School of Management. He is the founding director of the Center on Energy and the Environment at IESA and has advised governments, multilateral organizations, energy companies, and financial institutions across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.
Dr. Monaldi’s research focuses on energy economics, oil and gas policy, resource-dependent economies, political institutions, regulatory risk, and the energy transition. His work has been published in leading academic journals and by major institutions including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank. He is also a widely recognized commentator whose analysis has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Foreign Policy, Americas Quarterly, and Petroleum Economist.
He has served as a consultant to organizations including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, CAF Development Bank of Latin America, and numerous national governments. His expertise is frequently sought by global media outlets including Bloomberg, Reuters, CNN, BBC, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.
Dr. Monaldi earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science and Political Economy from Stanford University, an M.A. in International and Development Economics from Yale University, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, where he graduated first in his class. He is recognized internationally as one of the foremost authorities on energy policy, resource governance, and the political economy of Latin America.