Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi is an applied economist and urban planner with methods expertise in policy-oriented quantitative research and data management. He researches issues at the intersection of economic development and environmental planning with a particular focus on urban water demand management. This includes research on topics such as innovation, pricing, affordability, financial stability, and governance. In 2019, he received the University of North Carolina’s Impact Award for Outstanding Graduate Research for his work related to estimating residential demand for water in North Carolina.

Currently pursuing his doctorate in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, A.R. holds Master’s degrees in Economics and Economic Policy from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively, and holds undergraduate degrees from Stanford University.