Background
Autor is currently engaged in two research programs, one on the growth of labor market intermediation, and the second on job skill demands, technological change, and earnings inequality. Autor received a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from Tufts University in 1989 and a Ph.D. in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999. He is also the recipient of an NSF CAREER award for his research on labor market intermediation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and the Sherwin Rosen Prize in 2008 for outstanding contributions in the field of Labor Economics. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., Autor spent three years directing efforts in San Francisco and South Africa to teach computer skills to economically disadvantaged children and adults. He also pursued two previous careers, one in computer programming and the other in food service. At last count, Autor and his spouse, Marika Tatsutani, had three children, ages twelve, ten, and four. Autor is an avid sailor and his two older children are enthusiastic swimmers. As a compromise, they often go ice skating together.