Paul Oyer

Paul Oyer
The Mary and Rankine Van Anda Entrepreneurial Professor and Professor of Economics
Additional Administrative Titles
Research Statement
Research Interests
- Labor Economics
- Personnel Economics
- Incentives
- Matching Firms and Workers
Bio
In addition to his positions at Stanford, Paul Oyer is a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research. His is the former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Labor Economics.
Paul does research in the field of personnel economics, focusing on firms’ incentive systems, as well as hiring and firing. More recently, Paul’s work has focused on the “Gig Economy” and the decision to become an entrepreneur. In addition, he is the author of An Economist Goes to the Game, an economic guide to playing and watching sports, Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating, an entertaining explanation of numerous key ideas in microeconomics using examples from online dating and labor markets, and Roadside MBA (with Michael Mazzeo and Scott Schaefer), a Strategy guide for small businesses.
Before moving to the GSB in 2000, Paul was on the faculty of the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. In his pre-academic life, he worked for the management consulting firm of Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, as well as for the high technology firms 3Com Corporation and ASK Computer Systems. He holds a BA in math and computer science from Middlebury College, an MBA from Yale University, and an MA and PhD in economics from Princeton University. Paul is married to Kathryn Stoner, a Stanford Political Scientist. He has two grown children, two step-children, and two ill-behaved but sweet Retrievers.
Academic Degrees
- PhD in Economics, Princeton University, 1996
- MA in Economics, Princeton University, 1994
- MBA, Yale University School of Management, 1989
- BA, Middlebury College, Mathematics and Computer Science, 1985
Academic Appointments
- Professor of Economics, Stanford GSB, 2009-present
- Associate Professor of Economics, Stanford GSB, 2002–09
- Assistant Professor of Economics, Stanford GSB, 2000–02
- Assistant Professor of Management and Strategy, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 1996–2000
- Faculty Research Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1998–2000
- Affiliate, Center for the Study of Industrial Organization, Northwestern University, 2000
Professional Experience
- Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2003–present
- Market Analyst, ASK Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA, 1991–92
- Product Manager, 3Com Corporation, Santa Clara, CA, 1990–91
- Production Planner, 3Com Corporation, Santa Clara, CA, 1989–1990
- Research Associate, Booz Allen and Hamilton, Inc., New York, NY, 1985–87
Awards and Honors
- Dhirubhai Ambani Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship for 2016–17
- Lacob Family Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2013–14
- Fred H. Merrill Professor of Economics, Stanford GSB, 2011–present
- Louise and Claude N. Rosenberg, Jr. Faculty Scholar, 2008–09
- Morgridge Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, 2000–01
Publications
Journal Articles
Books
Book Chapters
Working Papers
Teaching
Degree Courses
Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs
Conferences, Talks & Speaking Engagements
Paul Oyer explains how Nobel Prize-winning economic theories can help you find true love online in his book “Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating.”
Paul Oyer, Stanford economist and the author of “Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating,” explains the marketplace of online love.
Stanford GSB Affiliations
- Faculty Affiliate Golub Capital Social Impact Lab
Service to the Profession
- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Labor Economics, November 2012-November 2019
- Editor, Journal of Labor Economics, 2007-2012