Frank Schilbach Senior Fellow 2026–2027
- Discipline
- Development and behavioral economics
- Fellowship duration
- September 01, 2026–June 30, 2027
- Academic or artistic job title
- Associate Professor of Economics
- Home institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
- Contact
- Links
- Institutional website
- Associated with
Frank Schilbach is an associate professor of economics and Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US). His research lies at the intersection of behavioral and development economics and examines how poverty, psychological factors, and economic behavior interact to shape people's productivity, health, and well-being.
His current work explores mental distress, sleep deprivation, financial concerns, loneliness, and substance use, as well as how people learn from others and adopt beneficial technologies. Drawing on psychology, public health, and medicine, he uses field experiments to better understand the circumstances of people experiencing poverty and to develop policies that improve their lives.
Frank earned his PhD in economics from Harvard University (US) in 2015 and joined MIT that year. His research has appeared in the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and Science. Together with Gautam Rao and Heather Schofield, he helps lead the Behavioral Development Lab in India (IN).