Professor Ghazala Azmat, a leading voice in applied microeconomics, who passed away on Saturday, June 7, 2025. At the time of her passing, she was Professor of Economics at Sciences Po and Director of the Organizational Economics Programme at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). Her death marks a profound loss to the field of economics, not only for her groundbreaking research but also for her enduring commitment to fairness, mentorship, and public service.
Ghazala Azmat was widely recognized for her research on labor markets, education, gender inequality, and organizational behavior—areas where she consistently brought rigorous empirical insight and deep relevance to policy and practice. Her scholarly legacy is matched only by her integrity and generosity as a colleague, mentor, and advocate for equity.
Born with a natural curiosity and intellect that would shape her future career, Ghazala pursued her doctoral studies in Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE). After earning her PhD, she held academic appointments at Queen Mary University of London and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, before joining Sciences Po. She was also affiliated with several leading research institutions, including CEPR, CESifo, and IZA, and was a Junior Member of the Institut Universitaire de France.
Her intellectual leadership extended beyond scholarship. She served on the Executive Committee and Council of the European Economic Association (EEA), where she also chaired the Standing Committee on Women in Economics. In this role, Ghazala worked tirelessly to address structural imbalances and to support the inclusion of women and underrepresented groups in the economics profession. Her leadership was rooted in the same empathy and thoughtfulness that defined her personal and academic life.
One of Ghazala’s most influential contributions came through her 2017 paper published in the Journal of Political Economy, which explored gender disparities in earnings and performance in the legal profession. Using innovative data, she and her coauthors uncovered how career aspirations—shaped both by professional expectations and traditional gender roles—drive gaps in outcomes. The study has since become a cornerstone in the growing literature on promotion gaps, team dynamics, and gender equity within institutions.
Her research on education was equally impactful. Ghazala applied field experiments and empirical models to explore how students make decisions in high-stakes environments and how feedback influences academic outcomes. Her 2019 Management Science paper demonstrated that relative performance feedback, while often helpful, can have nuanced and sometimes unintended effects on student motivation and long-term performance. She also investigated how access to information about the returns to higher education alters students’ choices, offering evidence that continues to inform education policy debates.
A strong believer in applied research for public good, Ghazala was actively involved in policy discussions, particularly in the UK. Through her work with the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE, she contributed to critical analyses on gender pay gaps, university funding reform, and broader socioeconomic challenges facing disadvantaged communities. Her insights helped bridge academic research and practical policymaking—an achievement few manage with such consistency.
At the time of her passing, Ghazala was leading an ambitious ERC-funded project, UNEQUALED (Unequal Education: The Role of Educational Constraints in Shaping Inequalities). Launched in 2022, the project aimed to examine how structural factors in educational systems contribute to inequality in opportunities and outcomes. The research had already begun to yield important findings. Although interrupted by her untimely death, her coauthors and collaborators are committed to continuing this vital work—driven, in part, by her unwavering intellectual clarity and collaborative spirit.
But perhaps Ghazala’s most lasting contribution lies in the lives she touched. She was a mentor to many, particularly young researchers, women, and those from underrepresented backgrounds in academia. Her advocacy was quiet but firm, her mentorship personal and sincere. She was known not only for her academic insight but also for the way she carried herself—with grace, discretion, and an unwavering commitment to dignity and fairness.
Colleagues recall her as a steady, kind presence—someone whose care extended beyond professional obligations. Whether through a thoughtful conversation, constructive feedback, or silent support during difficult moments, Ghazala made people feel seen and valued.
She is survived by her husband and frequent coauthor, economist Vicente Cuñat, and their two young children, Iliana and Adrien. Those who knew her speak not only of her intellectual brilliance, but of the deep love and joy she found in her family life. It is a source of comfort to imagine that her spirit—one of compassion, curiosity, and quiet strength—will live on in those closest to her.
Ghazala Azmat’s passing is an irreplaceable loss to economics and to all who were privileged to know her. She helped reshape how we think about inequality, opportunity, and institutional behavior, and she made the profession better—not just through her work, but through who she was. In her honor, we are reminded that great scholarship is not only about ideas, but about how we treat others along the way.
She will be deeply missed, but her impact endures.
