Robert K. Merton Scholar
The Merton Scholar recognizes the enduring contributions of an eminent scholar to the social sciences.
Robert Solow
Robert Solow is the Russell Sage Foundation’s Robert K. Merton Scholar and Institute Professor Emeritus at M.I.T. He was a Visiting Scholar at the foundation from 1999–2000 and became the Merton Scholar in 2001.
Solow is particularly known for his work on theories of economic growth. He is the recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal (1961), the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1987), the National Medal of Science (1999), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014). He is the founder of the Cournot Foundation and the Cournot Centre, and a founding trustee of Economists for Peace & Security. He also served on the Council of Economic Advisers from 1961–1962.
Solow received his B.A. (1947), M.A. (1949), and Ph.D. (1951) from Harvard University. He began teaching economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1949, becoming professor of economics there in 1958 and professor emeritus in 1995.