(September 10, 2012) Eric S. Maskin, a Nobel Laureate who has been a professor of Economics since 1985, was recently named as an Adams University Professor, Harvard’s highest honor for a faculty member.
The University Professorships were established in 1935 to recognize the outstanding contributions of professors whose scholarly work and contributions to the university transcended the scope of their disciplines. Professor Maskin will assume the chair vacated by retired musicologist Christopher Wolff. There are currently 23 faculty members who hold University Professor appointments.
Professor Maskin has made significant contributions to the field of economics in the areas of game theory, contract theory, social choice theory, and political economy.
Prof. Maskin earned his undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. He first joined the Harvard faculty as a professor of Economics in 1985 and was named the Louis Berkman Professor of Economics in 1997. In 2007, Professor Maskin received the renowned Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his work in laying the foundation of mechanism design theory. After spending more than 10 years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, Prof. Maskin recently returned to Harvard in January 2012.