Babcock Named University Professor

Linda Babcock, the James M. Walton Professor of Economics, is one of three Carnegie Mellon University faculty members who have been elevated to the rank of University Professor, the highest distinction a faculty member can achieve at CMU.

Christos Faloutsos, the Fredkin Professor of Computer Science in the School of Computer Science, and Barbara MacKenzie-Wood, the Raymond W. Smith Professor of Drama in the College of Fine Arts, were also named University Professors this year. 

"CMU is proud of the exceptional accomplishments of these three faculty members, each of whom has had transformational impacts on society and our students. They are at the top of their fields and exhibit exceptional creativity and intellectual curiosity," said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jim Garrett. "Please join me in congratulating Linda, Christos and Barbara on their appointments."

University Professors are distinguished by international recognition and for their contributions to education, artistic creativity and/or research. Each exemplifies this high level of achievement and commitment to the university and the broader academic communities.

Babcock served as head of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2015 to 2021.

She initiated the world's first undergraduate major in Behavioral Economics, Policy and Organizations and two doctoral programs: Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Marketing and Decision Research, both joint programs with the Tepper School of Business.

Babcock founded and directs PROGRESS, the Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society, and co-directs the Data-Driven Diversity Lab. She serves on the Russell Sage Foundation's Behavioral Economics Roundtable and has served on the economics review panel for the National Science Foundation.

Her research explores the interface between economics and psychology with a focus on negotiations and dispute resolution.

Babcock has been published in the most prestigious economics, industrial relations, psychology and law journals, including the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Industrial Relations, and the Journal of Legal Studies.

Read more about Faloutsos and MacKenzie-Wood