Susan Athey

About Susan Athey

Susan Athey, an economic theorist who has made significant contributions to the study of industrial organization, is a Professor of Economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University and her Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. She previously taught at the economics departments at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard.
 
Her current research focuses on the economics of the Internet, marketplace design, auction theory, the statistical analysis of auction data, and the intersection of computer science and economics. She is an expert in a broad range of economic fields – including industrial organization, econometrics, and microeconomic theory – and has used game theory to examine firm strategy when firms have private information. She advises governments and businesses on the design of auction-based marketplaces, most recently consulting for Microsoft Corporation on its online services.
 
In 2007, Professor Athey was named the first female recipient of the American Economic Association’s prestigious John Bates Clark Medal, awarded every other year to the most accomplished American economist under the age of 40 adjudged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and is a fellow of the Econometric Society. Professor Athey served as an elected member of the Council of the Econometric Society and the Executive Committee of the American Economic Association.

Degree(s):
B.A., Duke University, 1991
Ph.D., Stanford School of Business, 1995