David H. Autor

David H. Autor is the Daniel (1972) and Gail Rubinfeld Professor in the MIT Department of Economics within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. He serves as codirector of the NBER Labor Studies Program and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work. Autor is also a Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, Google Technology and Society Visiting Fellow, and co-director of the MIT School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative. His scholarly activities extend to leadership roles at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) North America as part of their Worker Prosperity Initiative.

Autor earned his B.A. in Psychology from Tufts University and completed his Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 1999. Prior to graduate study, he spent three years directing computer skills education for economically disadvantaged children and adults in San Francisco and South Africa, which informed his later research interests in technology and labor markets.

His research focuses on the labor-market impacts of technological change and globalization, with particular attention to job polarization, skill demands, earnings levels and inequality, and electoral outcomes. Autor's work has fundamentally shaped understanding of how automation affects different worker groups, with his influential 'task-based approach' to labor economics explaining why some jobs are susceptible to automation while others are complemented by technology. His China Shock research documented how import competition from China affected U.S. manufacturing employment and contributed to political polarization, earning him recognition as 'The academic voice of the American worker' by The Economist.

Autor's publication record reveals consistent focus on labor market dynamics, with recent work examining AI's impact on jobs, pandemic economic relief programs, trade policy effects, and the evolving nature of work. His research spans both theoretical frameworks and empirical analysis of large datasets, often employing innovative methodologies to address pressing economic questions.

• National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship
• Sherwin Rosen Prize for outstanding contributions to Labor Economics
• Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2019)
• Society for Progress Medal (2021)
• Heinz 25th Special Recognition Award (2020) for transforming understanding of how globalization and technological change impact jobs
• NOMIS Distinguished Scientist (2023)
• AI2050 Senior Fellow (2024)

Autor has received exceptional recognition for his teaching, including the MIT MacVicar Faculty Fellowship, considered MIT's highest undergraduate teaching honor. He has also been named an elected Fellow of the Econometric Society, the Society of Labor Economists, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Beyond academia, Autor co-founded and captains the MIT Economics hockey team, which he humorously notes is 'one of the most highly cited teams in the MIT intramural league.' His research has been supported by numerous grants from organizations including the National Bureau of Economic Research and has directly influenced policy discussions on trade, technology, and labor market institutions.