She studied a bachelor’s degree in economics at the UNAM, a master's degree in economics at El Colegio de México, and a doctorate in economic history at Harvard University. In 2002, her doctoral thesis was recognized with the Alexander Gershenkron Award by the Economic History Association of the United States.
Between 1998 and 2018, she was a professor - researcher at El Colegio de México. Her publications include books, compilations, book chapters, and articles in specialized magazines on issues of comparative economic development, industrialization, and trade policy. In Mexico, she has taught courses and seminars at UNAM, UAM, UABC, and ITESM (Mexico City campus) and has been a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and the University of California San Diego.
From December 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2020, she served as Minister of Economy of the Federal Government, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the history of the country. She implemented the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada, and she completed the modernization of the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, as well as the Continuity Agreement with the United Kingdom. During her term in office, the Law of Industrial Property Protection was modernized and the Law of General Taxes on Imports and Exports was updated. In terms of official norms, the legal framework was renewed with the issuance of the Law of Quality Infrastructure.
For the period 2021-2028, she is appointed by the plenum of the Senate of the Republic and by the President of the Mexican Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as a member of the INEGI´s Governing Board. A year later, she was ratified as president of our Institute by the constitutional representative, to cover the period from 2022-2027, and thus, becoming the first woman to hold that position.