Welcome!

I completed my PhD in Economics at London Business School under the supervision of Hélène Rey in July 2026. My research interests include geoeconomics, international macro, trade and monetary policy.

I am a member of the Next-Geo cohort and a 2026/27 Lamfalussy Fellow for the European Central Bank. I was a finalist for the 2026 Young Economist Prize.

My job market paper is Ports of Power. I study the acquisitions of European port terminals by Chinese state-owned companies and their effect on the European trade network.

Before the PhD, I worked at the European Central Bank. I did my pre-doc at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. I hold a MSc in Economics from University College London and a BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Warwick.

Previous papers include Monetary Policy and Regional Inequality (R&R on The Economic Journal) and The Globalization of Corporate Control (Journal of International Economics).

Building on Ports of Power, new work looks at maritime infrastructure and monetary policy, and at strategic oil reserves as an instrument of economic statecraft.

Here is my CV. You can contact me on knikalexi[at]london[dot]edu.