Chad Syverson

Chad Syverson is the George C. Tiao Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research focuses on the interactions between firm structure, market structure, and productivity, with publications appearing in top economics journals. He serves as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has contributed to National Academies committees.

Dr. Syverson earned bachelor's degrees in economics and mechanical engineering from the University of North Dakota in 1996, followed by a PhD in economics from the University of Maryland in 2001. Prior to joining Chicago Booth in 2008, he worked as a mechanical engineer for Loral Defense Systems and Unisys Corporation, an experience that informed his research interest in productivity measurement and analysis.

His research spans industrial organization, productivity analysis, and microeconomics, with particular attention to how firms organize production, how market structure affects productivity, and measurement issues in economic analysis. His work often combines theoretical frameworks with detailed empirical analysis of firm-level data. He has co-authored the widely used intermediate microeconomics textbook with Austan Goolsbee and Steve Levitt.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on productivity measurement across sectors including healthcare, construction, and retail. His work increasingly examines the relationship between market power and productivity, with several papers analyzing markups, monopsony power, and competitive dynamics. He frequently employs detailed microdata to investigate how firms respond to market conditions and regulatory changes.

• National Science Foundation Awards

Syverson serves as chair of the Chicago Census Research Data Center Board and has contributed to policy discussions through National Academies committees. His research has been funded by multiple National Science Foundation awards, reflecting the significance of his contributions to understanding productivity dynamics and market structure. He has also collaborated extensively with leading economists including Austan Goolsbee, Steve Levitt, and Martin Gaynor.