Daniel Trefler is the J Douglas and Ruth Canada Research Chair in Competitiveness and Prosperity at the Rotman School of Management and a Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Studies.

Trefler is an internationally respected trade economist, known for his path-breaking contributions to fundamental research. This research has been instrumental in the design and pursuit of trade agreements that promote productivity, innovation and investment while minimizing the harmful effects on workers and the most disadvantaged. In recent years he has advised Global Affairs Canada on national policies towards foreign direct investment and helped to frame the document that launched the Canada-EU trade agreement.

The importance and influence of Professor Trefler’s work has been recognized through numerous distinctions including the 2016 Killam Prize in Social Sciences (Canada’s ‘Nobel Prize’), the 2016 Bank of Canada Fellowship Award, a Canada Research Chair, and all three major awards of the Canadian Economics Association.

Born and raised in Toronto, Professor Trefler holds degrees in economics from the University of Toronto (BA), Cambridge University (M.Phil) and UCLA (Ph.D)