I'm a trade economist and Research Associate (tenure-track) based at the Firms and Markets Department, DIW Berlin.  My research investigates global supply chains, firm heterogeneity and the distributional implications of trade policy shocks. To study these issues, I analyse detailed transactions-level customs databases using modern econometric methods. 

I am currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Growth Lab based at the Harvard Kennedy School. Since 2019, I have also been affiliated with the Trade Policy Research Center at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Over 2022-2023, I was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute.

I completed my PhD in Economics (with distinction) from LMU Munich in 2022, with funding support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. Prior to this, I worked as a Junior Economist with the Ifo Institute’s Center for International Economics and pursued the MPhil in Economics from University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar from India. 

You can reach out to me at schowdhry[at]diw.de and follow my latest commentary on trade policy on Bluesky @sonalichowdhry.bsky.social.