Chad Syverson's research spans several topics, with a particular focus on the interactions of firm structure, market structure, and productivity. His work has been published in several top journals and has earned several National Science Foundation Awards, Olin Foundation Grants, and a Brookings Dissertations Fellowships.
"My engineering background definitely spurred my research interest in productivity. I like to visit factories and investigate how things are put together, what can go wrong when they are, and what factors influence firms' operating success (or lack thereof)."
Syverson is an associate editor of the Rand Journal of Economics, an editorial board member of the B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research in the Productivity, Industrial Organization, Environmental and Energy Economics, and EFG Programs. He also serves on the board of the Chicago Census Research Data Center. Prior to these appointments, Syverson was visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and a mechanical engineer co-op for Loral Defense Systems and Unisys Corporations.
He earned two bachelor's degrees in 1996 from the University of North Dakota, one in economics and one in mechanical engineering. He earned a master's degree in 1998 and a PhD in 2001, both in economics from the University of Maryland. Syverson joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 2008.