The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation selected this year’s class of 126 fellows in the sciences, economics, and mathematics from a field of about 800 nominees. Among past winners in economics, 20 have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize or the John Bates Clark Medal.
“I join the SIPA community in congratulating Professor Naidu on his very well-deserved selection as a Sloan Research Fellow,” said Dean Merit E. Janow. “It is an affirmation of what we already know to be the case —that Suresh is an economist of tremendous promise, undertaking cutting edge research in areas of great significance.”
Naidu, who is an assistant professor at SIPA and Columbia’s Economics Department, received his PhD from UC Berkeley in 2008 and joined Columbia in 2010 after taking a Harvard Academy Junior Fellowship. Among other topics, his research has looked at the political economy of coercive labor markets and the economic effects of political transitions. Suresh teaches the Economics sequence for students in the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program.
He is the second professor at SIPA to be so recognized, joining Wojciech Kopczuk, who was named a Sloan Research Fellow in 2005.
“I’m honored to get this award, and grateful for Columbia’s support,” Naidu said. “I hope to use the research funds in to continue my work on historical American labor market institutions, including 19th-century slavery and 20th-century union contracts.”
Vice Dean Miguel Urquiola added: “A count of Nobel medals and Sloan fellowships would place SIPA close to the very top among policy schools. Receipt of these awards is one measure (obviously not the only one) of the depth and quality of research that takes place at SIPA. We are delighted to see recognition of Suresh’s contribution in this regard.”
