Daron Acemoglu

Awarded the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, Daron Acemoglu is an Institute Professor at MIT whose groundbreaking work profoundly shapes political economy and economic development. Acemoglu’s contributions were first recognized significantly with the John Bates Clark Medal in 2005, honoring him as the best economist in the United States under the age of 40. His academic foundation includes an MSc in econometrics and mathematical economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1990, followed by a PhD in economics from LSE in 1992, with his doctoral thesis titled ‘Essays in Microfoundations of Macroeconomics: Contracts and Macroeconomic Performance.’ He began his impactful career as a lecturer at LSE from 1992 to 1993 before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an Assistant Professor in 1993. Acemoglu swiftly ascended through the academic ranks at MIT, becoming the Pentti Kouri Associate Professor of Economics in 1997, receiving tenure in 1998, and achieving Full Professor status by 2000.

His ongoing contributions were further celebrated with the CME Mathematical and Statistical Research Institute prize in 2021. Most recently, the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded jointly to Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their comparative studies on institutions. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, underscoring his pivotal role in contemporary economic discourse and policy.