Sloan Foundation Names Professors John Friedman & Richard Hornbeck as 2014 Sloan Research Fellows

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has named Harvard Professors John Friedman (HKS) and Richard Hornbeck (FAS Economics) as recipients in Economics of the 2014 Sloan Research Fellowships among the 126 scholars named for the award this year.

The Sloan Fellowship Awards are given annually in eight scientific and technical fields which include chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, evolutionary and computational molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics.  Fellows are chosen from among candidates nominated by their fellow scientists and selected by an independent panel of senior scholars based on their research accomplishments, creativity, and potential as young scientists who will become leaders in their fields. 

Professor John Friedman is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the fields of Public Finance and Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research aims to produce rigorous empirical evidence that is tied to theoretical models to inform public policy decisions.  Most recently his work has focused on the long-run effects of education and the economics of taxation, although he has also written papers on gerrymandering and health economics. 

Professor Richard Hornbeck is the Dunwalke Associate Professor of American History in the Economics Department at Harvard University.  His research focuses on the historical development of the American economy, looking at adaptation to particular opportunities or challenges for economic growth.  Three themes running through his research are the importance of property rights and contracting failures; market integration and agglomeration spillovers; and connections between agriculture, technology, and the environment.