History of Abhijit Banerjee in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: June 23, 2024

Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee is an Indian-born American economist and the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT. He co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), which focuses on using scientific research to address global poverty. In 2019, Banerjee, along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their experimental approach to poverty alleviation. Banerjee and Duflo, who are married, became the sixth married couple to win a Nobel Prize jointly.

February 1961: Birth of Abhijit Banerjee

Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee was born in February 1961.

1981: Completed BSc (Honors) in Economics

Abhijit Banerjee graduated with a BSc (Honors) in Economics from Presidency College in 1981.

1983: Completed MA in Economics from JNU

Abhijit Banerjee earned his MA in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in 1983.

1991: Birth of Son

Abhijit Banerjee and Arundhati Tuli Banerjee's son was born in 1991.

1994: Awarded Sloan Research Fellowship

Abhijit Banerjee received the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship, awarded to promising early-career researchers, in 1994.

1999: Became Joint Supervisor of Esther Duflo's PhD

Abhijit Banerjee became a joint supervisor for Esther Duflo's PhD in economics at MIT in 1999.

2004: Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Abhijit Banerjee was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.

2009: Received Infosys Prize in Social Sciences (Economics)

In 2009, Abhijit Banerjee was awarded the Infosys Prize in the social sciences (economics) category.

2010: Co-founded Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and Joined Plaksha University's Advisory Board

Abhijit Banerjee co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and joined the academic advisory board of Plaksha University, a newly established science and technology university in India, in 2010.

2012: Shared Gerald Loeb Award Honorable Mention

Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo were awarded the Gerald Loeb Award Honorable Mention for their book "Poor Economics" in 2012.

2013: Appointed to the UN Panel of Experts

Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, appointed Abhijit Banerjee to a panel of experts responsible for updating the Millennium Development Goals after 2015, which was their expiration date.

2014: Received Bernhard-Harms-Prize

Abhijit Banerjee was awarded the Bernhard-Harms-Prize by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in 2014.

2015: Married Esther Duflo

Abhijit Banerjee married his co-researcher, Esther Duflo, in 2015.

2015: Expiration Date of Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals, which Abhijit Banerjee was tasked with updating, reached their expiration date in 2015.

2016: Death of Son

Abhijit Banerjee's son tragically passed away in an accident in 2016.

2018: Served on the Social Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize

Abhijit Banerjee served on the Social Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize in 2018.

2019: Delivered EXIM Bank's Commencement Day Annual Lecture

Abhijit Banerjee delivered the Export-Import Bank of India's 34th Commencement Day Annual Lecture on "Redesigning Social Policy" in 2019.

2019: Criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party

Abhijit Banerjee faced criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India, for his political activism and economic theories following his Nobel Prize win in 2019. The BJP criticized his association with communist student groups and his consultation with Rahul Gandhi on the NYAY basic-income scheme.

2019: Nobel Prize in Economics

Abhijit Banerjee received the Nobel Prize in Economics alongside Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer in 2019 "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty".

2019: Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

Abhijit Banerjee, along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty" in 2019. He also became co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT in 2019.