Nobel Laureate Joins Covenant University

Nobel Laureate in Economics and Professor of
Economic Sciences from the Harvard University,
Professor Eric Maskin, has joined Covenant
University’s faculty as a Visiting Professor in
the Department of Economics, College of
Development Studies.
The Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University,
Professor Charles Ayo, who announced the
appointment, said the coming onboard of
Professor Maskin is an impetus to the
University’s quest to be one of the top ten
universities in the world within the next ten
years. According to the Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Maskin who visited Covenant
University in May 2014 as a distinguished
guest presenter at the University’s 1st
International Conference on African
Development Issues (CU-ICADI), will offer a
course as well as interact and advise the
University and the Department of Economics on
curriculum design.
Professor Maskin won the Nobel Prize in
Economic Sciences in 2007 for his work on the
theory of mechanism design. He has made
contributions to many other areas of
economics as well, including game theory, the
study of intellectual property rights, and
political economy. He also received Eric Kempe
Award 2007 and Harvard University Centennial
Medal 2010.
His current research projects include comparing
different electoral rules, examining the causes
of inequality, and studying coalition formation.
Professor Maskin holds a PhD from Harvard
University. He was at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology from 1977–1984. In
1985 he returned to Harvard as the Louis
Berkman Professor of Economics, where he
remained until 2000. That year, he moved to
the Institute for Advanced Study as Albert O.
Hirschman Professor in Princeton, New Jersey
(2000–2011). In addition to his position at the
Princeton Institute, Maskin was the director of
the Jerusalem Summer School in Economic
Theory at The Institute for Advanced Studies at
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2011,
Maskin returned to Harvard University where he
is currently the Adams University Professor.
Professor Maskin is a fellow of numerous
institutes, including Jesus College, University of
Cambridge, Research Fellow 1976–77;
Guggenheim Fellowship 1980–81; Sloan
Fellowship 1983–85; American Academy of
Arts and Sciences, Fellow; British Academy,
Corresponding Fellow; Econometric Society
Fellow (President 2003); European Economic
Association Fellow; Game Theory Society
President 2010–; Jesus and St. John’s
Colleges, University of Cambridge Honorary
Fellow; National Academy of Sciences Member;
Royal Academy of Economics and Finance
(Spain) Fellow, among many other academic
honours to his credit.
Professor Maskin is married to Gayle Sawtelle,
a history lecturer, and has two children.