Shivram Viswanathan is a student of history, political economy, and economic and financial policy. As a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, he conducts academic research on banks, their regulation, their history, and how they affect household decisions. He also works on administering and developing statistical and economic models in the Dodd-Frank Act Stress Tests, which were created in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. This annual exercise tests whether each of the largest U.S. financial institutions can endure a variety of adverse economic scenarios, and ensures that the financial system is healthy. A graduate of Rutgers University, Shivram honed his skills in programming and data processing while conducting research on historical economic phenomena such as banking supervision, the slave trade, and civil conflict.
In Fall 2016, he led Rutgers University to their second District and first National Championship in the College Federal Reserve Challenge. Additionally, he was a member of the first cohort of the New Brunswick Google Community Leaders Program. As part of this team, Shivram consulted with nonprofit and poverty-alleviation organizations in the area to better serve their clients by establishing a more robust web presence, registering their physical location with Google Maps, and conducting search engine optimization to raise awareness for their programs and services. Having been exposed to how policies mitigate or amplify inequities inherent in the local community, Shivram hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in financial economics to study these dynamics in more detail, both to advance academic discourse, and to inform the policy-making process. Shivram is an avid student and performer of spiritual music from various cultures. From major choral works to Islamic mystical Sufi songs, these musical styles put him in touch with his identity as a hyphenated American. In addition, he enjoys playing and watching basketball, and cooking and consuming spicy food.
