Birgit Hansl, a German national, is the World Bank’s Lead Economist for the Russian Federation, and Country Sector Coordinator in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network in the Europe and Central Asia Region.Since joining the Bank in 2005 through the Young Professionals Program, Birgit worked for the World Bank’s programs in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Prior to joining the Moscow-based Russia team in May 2013, she worked at the World Bank’s headquarter in Washington DC covering public finance and macroeconomic issues in South East Europe, with focus on Macedonia and Romania.Before joining the Bank, Birgit worked in academics and a number of bilateral and multilateral organizations, including the British Department for International Development and the United Nations Development Program.Birgit holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics. She completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco and Berkeley. Her first degree was a Masters’ in Economics from the Humboldt University Berlin.