Professor Valentina Corradi has spent her career exploring how economics, statistics, and probability intersect to help us understand both the future and the impact of today’s policies.
Fascinated with how major economic shifts like the Industrial Revolution shaped history and society in high school, this early curiosity led her to study economics in Milan, where she earned both her undergraduate degree and her Dottorato (Italian PhD). Corradi spent a transformative year as a visiting student at MIT, which inspired her to pursue a second PhD at the University of California, San Diego.
Corradi’s early career started in the US before a 27-year stint in the UK at leading universities including Queen Mary, Warwick, Exeter, and Surrey. But when she saw an opportunity at NYUAD in 2024, Corradi knew it was time for a new chapter.
“I thought a big change to a new reality and place like NYUAD would be a great opportunity,” she reflects. “And it’s been exactly that, an exciting journey.”
At NYUAD, Corradi has found a community that mirrors her passion for both rigor and openness. “It’s the perfect blend between a top academic school and a liberal arts college atmosphere,” she says. “Students are open-minded, sharp, intellectually curious, and very engaged.”
Her teaching reflects that same blend of rigor and relevance, teaching a core junior-level course that equips students with the tools to conduct independent research and prepare for their Capstone projects. She is also teaching financial econometrics, an elective that dives into how financial markets operate, an essential course for students eyeing careers in finance both in the UAE and abroad.
Corradi has embraced life in Abu Dhabi, from swimming in the campus’s Olympic-sized pool to exploring local beaches and traveling around the Emirates. She appreciates not only the ease of life but also the energy of the multicultural community.
For Corradi, econometrics is more than theory, it’s a lens for understanding the real-world impact of economic policies. Whether forecasting the ripple effects of tariffs or assessing how school meals improve children’s education, her work connects data to lived experience. At NYUAD, she is now inspiring a new generation to do the same: ask bold questions, build solid evidence, and apply their skills to solve the challenges of tomorrow.
