Prior to joining Indiana University in 2010, Heim was a Financial Economist in the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and was given the Performance and Special Act Awards. He was responsible for analyzing proposals related to housing and retirement savings. Heim has also been an Assistant Professor of Economics at Duke University and is Co-editor of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and the Economics Bulletin. Heim completed his undergraduate studies at John Hopkins University majoring in Economics and Mathematical Sciences and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.