Robert B. Wilson

For other people named Robert Wilson, see Robert Wilson (disambiguation).

Robert B. Wilson
Born (1937-05-16) May 16, 1937 (age 87)
Geneva, Nebraska, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA, MBA, DBA)
Known forGame theory in industrial organization
Sequential quadratic programming
AwardsGolden Goose Award (2014)
BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2015)
Nobel Prize in Economics (2020)
Scientific career
FieldsEconomist
Management science
InstitutionsStanford University
ThesisA simplicial algorithm for concave programming (1963)
Doctoral advisorHoward Raiffa
Doctoral studentsClaude d'Aspremont Lynden
Peter Cramton
Robert Gibbons
Benjamin Golub
Bengt R. Holmström
Matthew O. Jackson
Paul Milgrom
Jean-Pierre Ponssard
Robert W. Rosenthal
Alvin E. Roth
Yuliy Sannikov[1]

Robert Butler "Bob" Wilson, Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American economist who is the Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus at Stanford University. He was jointly awarded the 2020 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, together with his Stanford colleague and former student Paul R. Milgrom,[2] "for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats".[3][4] Two more of his students, Alvin E. Roth and Bengt Holmström, are also Nobel Laureates in their own right.[5][6]

Wilson is known for his contributions to management science and business economics. His doctoral thesis introduced sequential quadratic programming, which became a leading iterative method for nonlinear programming.[7] With other mathematical economists at Stanford, he helped to reformulate the economics of industrial organization and organization theory using non-cooperative game theory.[8][9] His research on nonlinear pricing has influenced policies for large firms, particularly in the energy industry, especially electricity.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Robert Wilson". Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved October 13, 2021.}
  2. ^ Charles Riley (October 12, 2020). "Nobel Prize in economics awarded to Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson". CNN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "The Prize in Economic Sciences 2020" (PDF) (Press release). Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. October 12, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Riley, Charles (October 12, 2020). "Nobel Prize in economics awarded to Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson for auction theory". CNN.
  5. ^ "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2012". NobelPrize.org. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2016". NobelPrize.org. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Research Gate - Sequential Quadratic Programming Methods". Researchgate. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "Robert Wilson". Stanford Graduate School of Business. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Roth, Alvin E.; Wilson, Robert B. (August 1, 2019). "How Market Design Emerged from Game Theory: A Mutual Interview". Journal of Economic Perspectives. 33 (3): 118–143. doi:10.1257/jep.33.3.118. ISSN 0895-3309.
  10. ^ "Nonlinear Pricing". Stanford Graduate School of Business. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Wilson, Robert (2002). "Architecture of Power Markets". Econometrica. 70 (4): 1299–1340. doi:10.1111/1468-0262.00334. ISSN 1468-0262. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.