Peter Rupert serves as Chair of UCSB's Department of Economics, Executive Director of the Economic Forecast Project, and Associate Director of the Laboratory for Aggregate Economics and Finance, founded by Nobel Laureate and Henley Professor of Economics, Finn E. Kydland. Prior to joining UCSB, Dr. Rupert spent 12 years as Senior Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and has held appointments at the University of Western Ontario, State University of New York, Buffalo, West Virginia University, USC, and the Birkbeck College at the University of London. His areas of specialization include macroeconomics, monetary economics, economic of the criminal justice system, labor, and household economics.

Dr. Rupert received a B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) in Economics from Santa Clara University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Rochester in 1987.