The appointment of two professors in the Department of Economics to hold endowed chairs has been announced by Provost Joel Moses.
Dr. Paul L. Joskow has been selected to be the next Elizabeth and James Killian Professor in recognition of his "outstanding achievements in economics" and his "distinguished leadership in teaching and public service," the provost said.
Dr. James M. Poterba has been selected to be the next holder of the Mitsui Professorship in recognition of his "highly valued contributions to research and teaching" at MIT, Professor Moses said.
The Killian Professorship was established in 1966 by members of the Class of 1926 to honor the late former president of MIT and his wife for their years of service to MIT.
The Mitsui Professorship was established in 1974 through the generosity of the Mitsui Group, one of the oldest and largest industrial organizations in Japan, to recognize faculty achievement and to encourage cultural and technological exchange between the United States and Japan.
Professor Joskow, head of the Department of Economics, is an expert in the fields of industrial organization and government regulation of industry. He has been involved in the United States and abroad in industry restructuring, privatization, regulatory reform and antitrust policy. He holds a joint appointment in the Sloan School of Management. Professor Joskow received his undergraduate degree in economics from Cornell University (1968) and the MPhil (1971) and PhD (1972) in economics from Yale University. He joined MIT in 1972.
Professor Poterba is an expert on the economic effects of tax policies and government expenditure programs. He has also done seminal work on the economic analysis of housing markets, and in financial economics. Professor Poterba, associate head of the Department of Economics, received the AB from Harvard College (1980) and the MPhil (1982) and the DPhil (1983) from Oxford. He joined the MIT faculty in 1983.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 12, 1996.
