Derek Neal

Derek Neal is an American labor economist and the William C. Norby Professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago. His research concerns labor economics, racial inequality, education policy, and criminal justice.

Education

Neal received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Virginia in 1992 and earned his M.A. in Economics from the same institution in 1987.

Academic career

Neal joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1991. He has held appointments as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor, and in 2022 was named William C. Norby Professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics.

Neal has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Labor Economics (2001–2007) and as Editor of the Journal of Political Economy (2008–2014). President, Midwest Economics Association (2009). Fellow, Society of Labor Economists (2008). H. Gregg Lewis Prize (2000). Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2016).