Cowles Foundation Announces Philipp Strack as New Faculty Director

The Cowles Foundation underwent a change in leadership this summer. On July 1st, former Faculty Director Sam Kortum passed the torch to Philipp Strack.

Professor Strack joined the Yale Faculty in 2019 after five years at UC Berkeley. In 2024, Strack was named the Cowles Foundation Professor of Economics, the same year he won the John Bates Clark Medal. Strack and fellow former Cowles Faculty Director Marina Halac were recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Strack has been widely recognized for his research contributions to theory and behavioral economics.

"With all due respect to my colleagues, I can’t think of a better choice than Philipp Strack to carry on the Cowles mission," says Kortum.

Professor Strack becomes Faculty Director of the Cowles Foundation as Professor Kortum takes on a new role as Chair of the Economics Department at Yale University. The position of Departmental Chair was previously held by Tony Smith. "As Director you see the many ways Cowles promotes economic research at Yale and how the excellent Cowles staff make it run so well," Kortum Says.

Regarding Kortum's transition to Department Chair, Professor Smith said, “Sam’s thirteen years at Yale and recent role as Director of the Cowles Foundation, not to mention his own Ph.D. from Yale, will serve the Department brilliantly, and I very much look forward to his new leadership.”

Professor Kortum joins an impressive list of Cowles Faculty Director Alumni, including Nobel Laureates James Tobin and Tjalling Koopmans. He is the 12th Faculty Director of the Cowles Foundation.