Professor Ethan Bueno de Mesquita Named Interim Dean

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, AB ’96, Sydney Stein Professor and Deputy Dean, has been appointed interim dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, effective March 1. He succeeds Katherine Baicker, who last month was appointed the next provost of the University.

Bueno de Mesquita joined the University faculty in 2007 and has served as a deputy dean at the Harris School since 2011, first as deputy dean for the faculty, and since 2014 as deputy dean for faculty and research. He spearheaded the creation of an early career faculty mentorship program, oversaw the design of a part-time MA for working professionals, and launched executive education initiatives for national security professionals and journalists. Bueno de Mesquita oversaw the hiring and promotion process at Harris during a period when the school’s faculty nearly doubled in size. He also co-led the development of the University’s PhD program in political economy, a partnership between Harris and the Social Sciences Division.

Bueno de Mesquita’s research focuses on applications of game theoretic models to a variety of political phenomena, including conflict, political violence, national security, and electoral accountability. He has written extensively on methodological issues in the social sciences and writes and advises on issues at the intersection of technology and society.

Bueno de Mesquita is the author or co-author of three books, Political Economy for Public Policy, Theory and Credibility, and Thinking Clearly with Data, along with many articles on political science and economics. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the United States Institute of Peace.

Before joining the University, Bueno de Mesquita taught in the political science department at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his PhD and MA from Harvard University.

“We are confident that Bueno de Mesquita’s leadership will continue advancing the work of the Harris School,” University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Ka Yee C. Lee wrote in a message announcing the appointment. “Please join us in congratulating Ethan on his appointment and thanking Katherine for her remarkable service as dean for the past five and a half years.”

Information on the search for the next dean of the Harris School will be forthcoming.