The Robert Rosenthal Memorial Lecture series was founded by the Rosenthal family in honor of Bob Rosenthal, a prominent and beloved faculty member in the Economics Department for many years. The annual lecture usually takes place in late March or April and features a prominent economist chosen by the graduate students. The lecture also provides an opportunity for students to meet with the speaker, share their research ideas, and gain valuable insight. Past speakers have included Ariel Rubinstein (2008), Alvin Roth (2007), and Jean Tirole (2006).
To learn more about Bob Rosenthal’s life and work, please read Roy Radner and Debraj Ray’s tribute published in the Journal of Economic Theory in 2003.
2026 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Search After Independence: Theory and Experimental Evidence”
Professor Leeat Yariv
Princeton University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here with the passcode ^9J4CNfA.
2025 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“The Conceptual Challenges of Behavioral Welfare Economics”
Professor B. Douglas Bernheim
Stanford University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2024 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Contracting for Coordination”
Professor Marina Halac
Yale University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here. The lecture slides can be accessed here.
2023 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Still Worth the Trip? The Evolution of School Busing in Boston”
Professor Parag Pathak
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2022 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“The Evolution of Social Networks, Homophily, and Some Behavioral Consequences”
Professor Matthew Jackson
Stanford University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2021 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Misspecified Politics and the Recurrence of Populism”
Professor Gilat Levy
London School of Economics
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2020 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Platforms, Aggregators and Intermediaries”
Professor Susan Athey
Stanford Graduate School of Business
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2019 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Beyond the Vickrey Auction: Practical Design for Large, High-Stakes Auctions”
Professor Paul Milgrom
Stanford University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2018 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Size Matters: Small and Large groups in Conflict”
Professor Debraj Ray
New York University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2017 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Errors in Social Inference: Models and Implications”
Professor Matthew Rabin
Harvard University
2016 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Internet Markets: Search, Pricing and Trust”
Professor Jonathan Levin
Stanford University
2015 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Calibrated Uncertainty”
Professor Faruk Gul
Princeton University
A recording of the lecture can be viewed here.
2014 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Information Aggregation in Large Markets”
Asher Wolinsky
Northwestern University
2013 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Sequential Equilibria of Multi-Stage Games with Infinite Sets of Types and Actions”
Professor Philip J. Reny
University of Chicago
2012 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Women’s Rights and Development”
Professor Raquel Fernandez
New York University
2011 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Elections and Strategic Voting: Condorcet and Borda”
Professor Eric Maskin
Princeton University
2010 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Decision Making Under Uncertainty”
Professor Douglas Gale
New York University
2009 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Effecting Cooperation”
Professor Andrew Postlewaite
University of Pennsylvania
2008 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“On the Pragmatics of Persuasion: A Game Theoretic Approach”
Professor Ariel Rubinstein
Tel Aviv University and New York University
2007 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“What Have We Learned From Market Design”
Professor Alvin E. Roth
Harvard University
2006 Rosenthal Memorial Lecture
“Economic Incentives, Self Motivation, and Social Pressure”
Professor Jean Tirole
Institut d’Economie Industrielle, Toulouse, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology