Professor Joaquin Vespignani is an applied macroeconomist specialising in the economics of the energy transition, critical minerals, and energy and commodity price dynamics. His research focuses on how geopolitical risk, supply-chain constraints, and non-technical risks shape investment, prices, and macroeconomic outcomes in energy and critical-minerals markets, with direct implications for decarbonisation, industrial policy, and national economic resilience.

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He has published extensively in leading internationally recognised, peer-reviewed journals (ABDC A and A*), including Nature Communications, Journal of Banking & Finance, Energy Economics, Journal of Commodity Markets, Economics Letters, and The Canadian Journal of Economics, among others.

 

Professor Vespignani’s research and expert commentary on energy, critical minerals, and global macro-financial risks have been featured in major international media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal (US), The Economist (UK), The Guardian (UK), Forbes (US), The Australian Financial Review, and The Conversation (Australia). Before his academic career, he served as Chief Economist for Australia and New Zealand at Barclays Capital from 2009 to 2012.

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Current Appointments

• Director, Economic Planning Division, Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Government of the Cook Islands

• Professor of Economics, Monash Business School; Pacific Action for Climate Transitions

• Co-founder, Commodia – Advanced Forecasting of Energy and Critical-Minerals Prices

• Program Director, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), Australian National University

• Australian Economic Expert Panel, Economic Society of Australia

• Associate Editor (Macroeconomics), Economic Papers (Economic Society of Australia)

 

Education

• PhD in Economics (Macroeconomics), University of New South Wales, Australia (2007–2012)

• Master of Economics (Macroeconomics), University of New England, Australia (2006–2007)

• Bachelor of International Trade, Universidad de la Marina Mercante, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998–2003)

• Degree of Commerce, Universidad de Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1996–1999)