On July 8, 2026, the CUNY Graduate Center announced the appointment of eight new distinguished professors. Among the new distinguished professors is Dr. Nuria Rodriguez-Planas, an economics professor at Queens College.
“We are thrilled that the CUNY Board of Trustees approved these appointments, and we extend our congratulations to all eight faculty members who achieved this rank,” said Graduate Center President Joshua C. Brumberg.
Dr. Rodriguez-Planas has received numerous accolades for her contributions to labor economics and women’s economic research. Much of her work addresses significant social and humanitarian challenges while advocating for greater public awareness and meaningful change in policies. She has published over 45 peer-reviewed research articles in journals including American Economic Review, Journal of Human Resources and Journal of Public Economics.
In 2023, she received €2.5 million in funding from the European Research Council (ERC) for her study on intimate partner violence in high-income countries. Her research has been supported by grants totaling $3.5 million, including the ERC Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious and competitive awards in European research. The ERC Advanced Grant is awarded to individual researchers with a track record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years.
Her substantial contribution to academia began long before she arrived at QC. Before moving to New York City, she served as a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) and later as a research associate from 2012 to 2015. She was an assistant professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona from 2004 to 2012 and an affiliated professor at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics from 2007 to 2012.
Earlier in her career, she worked as an economist at Mathematica Policy Research from 2000 to 2004 and at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 1998 to 2000. She was also a research fellow at the Brookings Institution from 1997 to 1998. Dr. Rodriguez-Planas earned her Ph.D. in economics and her master’s degree in political economy from Boston University. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universitat de Barcelona and holds a bachelor’s degree from Juniata College, where she studied for one year as an undergraduate.
“The title of Distinguished Professor is conferred on an individual by the University Board of Trustees in recognition of exceptional scholarly achievement,” states a CUNY Board of Trustees Policy on their website. “The purpose of these appointments is to recruit new faculty or retain existing faculty whose appointments enrich the University, especially when candidates require special incentives to influence their decision to accept an offer or to remain within the University. These appointments are expected to contribute to CUNY’s commitment to recruit and retain an excellent faculty representing a rich diversity of gender and ethnicity.”
Her appointment as a distinguished professor reflects the breadth and importance of her scholarship, teaching and service. The recognition also highlights QC’s continuing contribution to academic excellence throughout the City University of New York.
Rodriguez-Planas continues her economic research and contributions to policy changes that coincide with such. “The distinguished professor appointments are proof of the excellence of scholarship and teaching throughout the Graduate Center,” said President Brumberg.
