Scott Nelson

Scott Nelson is an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research bridges consumer credit markets, regulatory frameworks, and behavioral economics, with a focus on how information asymmetries and algorithmic decision-making shape market outcomes. He has contributed to understanding the impacts of the 2009 CARD Act, eviction protections in housing markets, and fairness in credit scoring systems.

• PhD in Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• BA (summa cum laude) in Economics and Mathematics, Yale College

Nelson's work employs diverse data sources, including credit reports, court filings, and tax records, combined with structural models to analyze consumer and firm behavior. Key themes include regulatory efficiency, validity disparities in predictive models, and the welfare implications of policy interventions.

His articles reveal trends in algorithmic regulation (2025), eviction dynamics (2025), credit scoring disparities (2024), and public finance impacts on Chinese real estate (2023). These publications highlight interdisciplinary methodologies integrating economics, law, and data science.

Scientific awards include the AQR Top Finance Graduate Award (2018) and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He has held postdoctoral roles at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau/Princeton University and visiting research positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.