January 02, 2019
Jens Ludwig

Jens Ludwig has been named the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor.

Ludwig is a recognized expert in urban policy. He is director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which works with government to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system. Crime Lab research has informed policy in Chicago, New York and other cities, and was credited as one motivation for President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

His recent work focuses on using machine learning tools to improve policy decisions. He has also studied gun violence prevention, how social conditions affect schooling outcomes, and the federal Moving to Opportunity demonstration, which helped low-income public housing families move to less distressed neighborhoods.

Ludwig is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Neurobiological and Socio-behavioral Science of Adolescent Development and Its Applications, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

This article originally appeared at UChicago News.