The chairman, directors, and officers of the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics (IFREE) have announced that Judd Kessler, associate professor of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has won the 2021 Vernon L. Smith Ascending Scholar Prize.

Named after Nobel Laureate Vernon L. Smith and made possible through the generosity of the Rasmuson Foundation and other contributors, the Smith Prize seeks to inspire early-career scholars to emulate Dr. Smith’s zeal for scientific discovery. Set this year at $50,000, the Smith Prize is a “budding genius” award that recipients may use flexibly to advance social science in whatever manner they choose.

Dr. Kessler has emerged as one of the leading young scholars in applying experimental methods to real-world problems in public goods, particularly charitable giving and worker effort. He has also made important contributions in mechanism design, such as priority systems for organ donation.