Two Economics faculty members, Peter Hull and Toru Kitagawa, have been promoted to Professors as of July 1, 2023. 

Peter Hull came to Brown in 2021 as the Groos Family Assistant Professor of Economics from the University of  Chicago where he was an Assistant Professor of Economics. Before Chicago, he was a Research Fellow at the UChicago Becker Friedman Institute for Economics and a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Microsoft Research New England. Peter received his PhD in Economics from MIT in 2017. He teaches econometrics at both the undergraduate and graduate level, Econ 1630 (Mathematical Econometrics I) for undergrads, and Econ 2400 (Applied Econometrics II) for grad students. 

Peter’s research  spans a wide range of topics in education, healthcare, discrimination, and applied econometrics. Broadly, this work is unified by the development and application of new quasi-experimental methods to evaluate institutional quality, inequality, and the effects of various policy interventions – while avoiding various forms of selection bias. In February 2023, he was awarded a prestigious research fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He will receive $75,000 over two years to advance his research. 

Toru Kitagawa came to Brown in 2021 as an  Associate Professor of Economics from University College London where he was a Professor of Economics. He received his PhD in Economics from Brown University in 2009 and went on to hold a faculty position at University College London for 11 years. Toru is the Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of Graduate Placement for the economics department. He teaches Econ 1620 (Introduction to Econometrics) for undergrads, Econ 2020 (Applied Economics Analysis), and Econ  2040 (Econometric Methods) for grad students. 

Toru’s research and teaching interests include econometrics, causal inference, statistical decision theory, Bayesian analysis, applied microeconomics, empirical macroeconomics, and experimental economics. His research projects center on how to use data to inform  better public policy. He studies theoretical econometrics and statistics to develop quantitative methods for evidence based policy decisions, with applications to a wide range of applied economics including labor, development, and environmental economics. He also collaborates with empirical researchers around the world to conduct lab and field experiments to perform econometric analysis on human behaviors and learn better policies for real-world problems. Toru has published his works in major peer-reviewed journals in economics including Econometrica, Journal of Econometrics, Quantitative Economics, and Journal of Business Economics and Statistics. He also serves as a board member of the Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Business Economics and Statistics, Journal of Econometric Methods, and Japanese Economic Review.

Congratulations to Peter and Toru!