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Suzi Kerr

Senior Fellow

I am currently a senior fellow at Motu, and have recently returned from Stanford University where I was a Visiting Professor.  From 1998 to 2009 I was Director and Senior Fellow at Motu. I stepped down from the Director role in June 2009 to go to Stanford and concentrate on my research.

I did my honours degree in economics at Canterbury and then worked as a housing analyst for the New Zealand Treasury. I graduated from Harvard University in 1995 with a PhD in Economics. From 1995 through 1998, I worked at the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor. I have been a visiting scholar at Resources for the Future (USA), Victoria University and, from January to August 2001, I was a visiting scholar at the Joint Center for the Science and Policy of Global Change at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA. During 2006, I took a sabbatical combined with maternity leave in the south of Chile.

My current research work empirically and theoretically investigates domestic and international emissions trading issues with special emphasis on land use and climate change in both the tropics and New Zealand, domestic carbon permit market design, and nutrient trading in Lake Rotorua. My work involves theoretical analysis, simulation modelling, econometric analysis and policy design. I work closely with researchers from several Crown Research Institutes through a collaborative network, EcoClimate.

I am fascinated by the challenge of solving policy problems, but also like to stay well grounded in empirical reality. Outside of work, I love hanging out with my daughters Manu and Roma and my partner Norman, planting trees and putzing in my garden and, when I get a chance, enjoy white-water kayaking and tramping, as well as listening to Norman play Jazz.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF 126KB)

Publications