Vanessa Wan Xu

Welcome to my page. I am Wan (Vanessa), a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the University of Chicago. 

My research centers on economic growth and innovation. I study how developing and emerging economies build technological capabilities, catch up with the global frontier, and transition toward cleaner and more innovative patterns of growth. My work examines the roles of industrial policy, interactions, and supply and knowledge networks in shaping these transformations. Combining quantitative models with micro-level empirical evidence, I seek to understand not only whether particular policies promote innovation and growth, but also how their design, sequencing, and interaction with market forces determine their domestic welfare effects and global spillovers.

Currently I work with Professor Ufuk Akcigit and his research team. I am also a co-founder of WEPT and the director of WPET Beijing.

Here is my latest CV.