MIT Professor to Headline 2025 DeCoursey Nobel Economist Lecture

Want to learn more about economics from a global expert? Mark your calendar for Trinity University’s 37th annual DeCoursey Nobel Economist Lecture. 

On Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. in Chapman Auditorium, Nobel laureate and MIT professor Joshua Angrist, Ph.D., will present “My Evolution as an Economist.” The lecture will be followed by a 15-minute question and answer session, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage directly with Angrist and gain deeper insights into the world of economics.

Tickets are not required, and the lecture is free and open to the public. 

For over three decades and counting, this series has consistently showcased the finest minds in the world of economics. Each speaker shares autobiographical insights, offering a unique window into their growth, challenges, and successes as scholars, as well as the sources and nature of their ideas and discoveries that have left an indelible mark on the field. The DeCoursey Nobel Economist Lecture is sponsored by Trinity’s Department of Economics and is made possible through the generosity of the late Gen. Elbert DeCoursey and Mrs. DeCoursey of San Antonio.

“The DeCoursey Nobel Economist Lecture brings world-class scholarship into direct conversation with our students and community,” says David Macpherson, Ph.D., economics department chair. “Hearing Nobel Laureates wrestle with evidence and policy affirms Trinity’s commitment to curiosity, rigor, and real-world impact.”

Joshua Angrist is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT, a co-founder and director of MIT's Blueprint Labs, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. A dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, Angrist taught at Harvard and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before coming to MIT in 1996. Angrist received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in 1982 and completed his doctorate in economics at Princeton University in 1989.

Angrist and his collaborators develop and study innovative ways to harness the power of natural experiments to answer important economic questions. These new econometric tools help social scientists and policymakers discover the causal effects of individual choices and government policy changes. In dozens of empirical studies, Angrist explores the economics of education and school reform; the impact of social programs on the labor market; and the labor market effects of immigration, regulation, and economic institutions.

In 2020, Angrist and MIT colleague Parag Pathak co-founded Avela, a software start-up focusing on products that use cutting-edge research to help schools and school districts boost enrollment, streamline operations, support families, and enhance equity.

Angrist received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2021 (with co-Laureates Guido Imbens and David Card). He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society, and has served on many editorial boards and as a co-editor of the Journal of Labor Economics.

In addition to scholarship and teaching, Angrist and Steve Pischke co-authored Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion and Mastering 'Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect. These texts are among the most widely seen in econometrics classrooms. 

Whether you’re an economics enthusiast, a student, or a seasoned professional, Angrist’s lecture promises to be an enlightening experience that will deepen your understanding of the economic world. For more information and to save the lecture to your calendar, visit events.trinity.edu.