Joshua Angrist

Nobel Prize-winning economist and author Joshua Angrist is a pioneer in the use of econometric ideas and tools to answer some of today’s most pressing policy questions. Angrist received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2021 for his innovative work using natural experiments to answer questions of profound importance. His research spans the economics of education, labor market impacts of social programs, and the effects of immigration and regulation. Does it matter whether you go to a highly selective high school or college? Where are the best schools? What are the long-run consequences of military service for those who serve? What are the economic implications of having, or growing up in, a larger family? Why are the sort of statistics we hear so often in the media likely to be misleading? How can you – as the consumer of such information – break through the fog? The tools of econometric data science, wielded with skill and judgment, dispel the hype and offer new insights.

Angrist is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT, the Co-Founder and Director of MIT's Blueprint Labs, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has developed innovative econometric tools that have transformed empirical research in economics. Angrist has served on many editorial boards and was a co-editor of the Journal of Labor Economics. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society, and in 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Gallen.

Angrist has co-authored two leading texts in applied econometrics and data science, "Mostly Harmless Economics: An Empiricist’s Companion" and "Mastering ‘Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect". Not only scientifically rigorous, with innovative content, his books are also engaging and accessible. Angrist is also a Co-Founder of Avela, an education technology startup that matches students to opportunities, prioritizing equity, accountability, and quality to ensure fair decisions and empower families.