Faculty expertise

Strengthening the connections between rigorous academic research, real-world policy issues, and the student experience
Faculty directory

Poverty and inequality. Trade and economic development. Health and human security. Energy and the environment.  Alongside their critical work as teachers and mentors, Ford School faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized experts in vitally important policy areas. And they're deeply engaged in the world of practice. They include senior government advisors, current and former members of the Council of Economic Advisers, leaders of international nonprofits, and more. Some are visiting policymakers who have worked in the field for years.

See all of them on the faculty directory

Our faculty are enthusiastic teachers and mentors who prize the school's close-knit, collaborative community.

Who will inspire you?

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Our Faculty: Who will inspire you?
Science and tech policy

Shobita Parthasarathy

Parthasarathy focuses on the governance of emerging science and technology and the environmental, social, ethical, political, and health implications. She is an award-winning author who regularly testifies before Congress. Check out her new online course, “Justice and Equity in Technology Policy.”
View Parthasarathy's profile
State and local policy

Elisabeth Gerber

Gerber is an expert on regionalism and intergovernmental cooperation, sustainable development, urban climate adaptation, transportation policy, community and economic development, local fiscal capacity, and local political accountability. She co-leads the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, an ongoing public opinion survey in Detroit. Check out Gerber's new online course, "Future of Mobility," which explores technological innovations in the mobility space and their social impact.
View Gerber's profile
Energy and environmental policy

Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy

Political Scientist Barry Rabe is a leading voice on climate change and its causes, including methane and other greenhouse gasses. His expertise was recently tapped at a conference at the Wilson Center, "A Transatlantic Dialogue: Carbon Pricing and the Energy Transition," which explored the feasibility of moving from theory to practice in carbon pricing.
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Economic policy

Justin Wolfers

Wolfers is a leading economist who serves as a member of the Congressional Budget Office Panel of Economic Advisers. He helps shape public understanding of economic issues in social media and the news. Hear him on NPR's Planet Money Summer School podcast.
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International development

Dean Yang

Yang explores the economic problems of developing countries, specifically international migration, microfinance, health, corruption, political economy, and the economics of disasters. He recently developed a new framework to assess how to improve migration policies, given the fraught international and sometimes nationalist political environment.
View Yang's profile
Democracy and political institutions

Jonathan Hanson

Political scientist Jon Hanson explores the roles of democracy and state capacity in human development, why authoritarian regimes vary in economic and social outcomes, how the spatial distribution of ethnic group populations interacts with political institutions to affect public service delivery, and how to measure state capacity.
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Events

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Jun 30 2020

A Decade of Dodd-Frank

10:00 am-4:00 pm
Jun 29 2020