Olivier Deschenes is Professor of Economics at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he is also affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. He is also Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a Research Director at the Environmental Market Solutions Laboratory (emLab), and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University.

Deschenes' recent research seeks to determine the potential impacts of climate change on human health, productivity, and economic activity in the U.S. and around the world using historical data. His ongoing research examines the effect of energy prices on labor markets in the context of climate policies, the relationship between extreme temperature and health in India, and the effect of temperature and ambient pollution fluctuations on worker productivity. An important component of this research is to identify cost-effective and sustainable adaptation strategies to climate change. He also studies how “green policies” and the development of renewable energy affect labor markets. His research has appeared in leading journals, including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Political Economy, and Science

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in May 2011. From 2012-2023 he served as Program Coordinator of IZA’s research area on "Environment and Labor Markets".