Catia Batista is a Full Professor of Economics at Nova School of Business and Economics (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), where she is also co-Founder and Scientific Director of the NOVAFRICA research center. Catia holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Department of Economics of the University of Chicago.

Catia has research interests related to international migration and remittance flows, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, technology adoption, education and policy impact evaluation. She has done work including RCTs and lab-in-the-field experiments in countries such as Cape Verde, the Gambia, Ireland, Kenya, Portugal, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe.

Currently holds research affiliations with CEPR, CReAM, J-PAL and Rockwool Fundation, Catia has taught at the University of Chicago, University of Oxford, Notre Dame University, and Trinity College Dublin. Previously, she worked at the International Monetary Fund and at the Portuguese Catholic University, and consulted for the World Bank and the International Growth Center. Catia is a National Councilor for Migration and Asylum Policies in her home country, Portugal.

Catia is currently a Research Fellow at IZA, and joined IZA as a Research Affiliate in May 2005.