Professor Ashton De Silva
Details
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Department: Economics Finance & Marketing
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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ashton.desilva@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID:
0000-0002-1280-4511
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
- Media enquiries
- Industry Projects
- Collaborative projects
About
Ashton is an applied economist whose areas of expertise include forecasting, policy analysis, and household and business economic security. He has successfully led and contributed to numerous projects including exploring the benefits of ageing-in-place and modelling local economic development & recovery. He has collaborated widely with NGOs, government departments, and businesses, including the Brotherhood of St Laurence, ATO, and ANZ. Additionally, he has worked extensively with peers across disciplines from various locations.
Throughout his career, he has been appointed to and carried out various leadership roles, including Head of the Economics Department and manager of research and coursework programs across various locations. Recent teaching includes the economics of cryptocurrencies and, more generally, exploring digital solutions to industry challenges. This is complemented by focus on preparing students for life and work. He currently serves his profession and the wider community as a council member of the Economics Society (Victorian Branch).
Research fields
- 38 Economics
- 3801 Applied economics
- 380118 Urban and regional economics
- 380203 Economic models and forecasting
- 3304 Urban and regional planning
- 440305 Population trends and policies
- 350108 Taxation accounting
- 350205 Household finance and financial literacy
UN sustainable development goals
- 1 No Poverty
- 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- 3 Good Health and Well Being
- 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Supervisor projects
- Reigniting Australia's Economy: Exploring business investment in AI, quantum, blockchain amongst other emerging technologies to drive increased productivity growth.
- 6 Oct 2025
- Assessing the social and economic transformations from renewable energy developments: Barriers and enablers for the equitable distribution of impacts and benefits
- 9 Sep 2025
- Unravelling the Trichotomy of Financial Inclusion in Pakistan: Traditional, Digital, and CBDC Perspective
- 26 Jul 2022
- Productivity and Urbanisation: How Cities Drive Specialisation and Economic Growth
- 11 Oct 2021
- Gender Dimensions of Business Formalisation: Evidence from Vietnam
- 28 Apr 2021
- Using Home Equity to Age in Place
- 11 Feb 2020
- Australian Housing Markets: Local, Regional and International Interactions
- 13 Dec 2017
- Analysis of the Retail Petrol Price Patterns in Western Australia
- 22 Mar 2017
- Essays in Corporate Finance: Supply Chain Relationship, Stock Market Liquidity, Corporate Innovation and Dividend Policy
- 1 Mar 2017
- Studies into State-dependent Asset Pricing Models and Dynamic Asset Allocation in International Equity Markets
- 8 Feb 2017
- Gender Preference at Birth (GPB): A New Measure for Son Preference and its Implications for Outcomes in Fertility and Poverty in Pakistan
- 29 Aug 2016
Teaching interests
Ashton has taught across a wide range of subjects, international locations, and undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts. Areas of teaching include Applied Economics, Applied Econometrics, and Digital Disruption including the economic impact of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Complementary to these activities is a focus on preparing students for life and work. He has extensive experience teaching small (<20) and large (1000+) cohorts and has received several teaching awards, including an "Excellence in Education" award from the Digital Economy Council of Australia. A key focus on his teaching is understanding the value proposition of AI in the context of each subject he teaches.
Research interests
Applied Economics, Digital Disruption, Financial Wellbeing, Policy Impact on Households, Urban and Regional Planning, Ageing-in-Place, Household and Business Economic Security.
