Rafael is a senior economist with expertise in macroeconomics, labour economics, and public economics.

He has conducted research at the São Paulo School of Economics (Brazil), focusing on causal inference with microeconometric methods. As a research assistant at Emory University (US), he worked on projects tying the availability of affordable housing to mental health and political attitudes.

Rafael has also worked as a consultant in Brazil, analysing the fiscal impact of tax credits for Brazil's VAT, and as a senior business analyst, managing a team of five data analysts on a project for a large retail client.

He is a PhD candidate (Economics) at the São Paulo School of Economics, studying fiscal policy with labour informality and credit frictions. Moreover, he holds an MA in Economics (School of Public Policy and Management) and a BSc in Civil Engineering (University of Brasília).

Rafael can usually be found running with his wife or plotting his next move on a chessboard. He is a committed language enthusiast and speaks Portuguese and Spanish fluently, with previous attempts in Italian and German.