Professor Sergio Urzua has been named Chilean Economist of the Year for 2022 in recognition of his research accomplishments in labor economics, education, development, and applied econometrics.   “I think I speak for all of us here at Maryland when I say that this is a much-deserved award, for a terrific economist and colleague,” said  Department Chair Professor Andrew Sweeting.

The announcement describes Professor Urzua’s path from Maipu, Chile, to Business Engineering at the University of Chile, a Doctorate at the University of Chicago, under the supervision of James Heckman, to academic positions at Northwestern and the University of Maryland, and policy work in Chile, including as Treasury's labor markets coordinator.

Professor Urzua’s recent research focuses on the role of abilities, skills, and uncertainty as determinants of schooling decisions, labor market outcomes, social behavior, and inequality. In addition, his research analyzes selection models with unobserved heterogeneity and the impact evaluation of social programs in developing and developed countries.  Click here for the announcement and here to learn more about Professor Urzua’s research.

This story also appears on the BSOS Homepage.