Jonathan Pincus is a development economist specializing in Southeast Asia and is now Senior International Economist with the United Nations Development Programme. 

He has held teaching positions in Europe, the United States, and Asia and conducted research on rural development, industrial policy, finance and social policy. 

His work to develop policy research and education capacity in the region includes the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia at the Harvard Kennedy School, which he instigated as president of the Rajawali Foundation, and the Indonesian Scholarship and Research Support Foundation (ISRSF), which provides advanced training for Indonesian social scientists and established a network of research institutes at Indonesian universities. He has worked with several international organizations and philanthropies in Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. 

He holds a master and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Cambridge, UK, and is affiliated with the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management in Vietnam and SOAS, University of London.