Mark Duggan, the Wayne and Jodi Cooperman Professor of Economics at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and former director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, has been named director of the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, effective September 1, 2026.
Duggan joined the Stanford faculty in 2014. He served as the Trione Director of SIEPR from 2015 to 2024.
The Munk School, established in 2010 to focus on contributing innovative ideas that help solve major issues facing the global community, announced the appointment on Nov. 12.
“I am excited to be joining the Munk School at a time when evidence-based solutions for pressing economic and social problems are perhaps greater than ever before,” Duggan said. “My experiences at Stanford will surely be very helpful to me in this new role where I hope to strengthen connections between the academic, business, and policy communities while creating conditions that allow faculty and students to thrive.”
For 10 years, Duggan taught Stanford’s core course of Econ 1. He also advised more than 100 undergraduate and PhD students, many of whom have gone on to public service roles in government and nonprofits.
“Mark has played an important role in inspiring and bolstering the next generation of policy leaders through his teaching, mentorship, and establishment of successful predoctoral and undergraduate research fellow programs at SIEPR,” said Neale Mahoney, the TG Wijaya Professor of Economics and current director of SIEPR.
“Stanford has benefited greatly — and the University of Toronto will, too — from Mark’s scholarship and visionary leadership,” Mahoney said.
Recognized for his body of work in health policy, Duggan had served as the senior economist for health care policy on the White House Council of Economic Advisers from 2009 to 2010. He has also testified about his research to committees in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Among other honors, he was the recipient in 2010 of the ASHEcon Medal, awarded by the American Society of Health Economists to the economist aged 40 and under in the U.S. who has made the most significant contributions to the field of health economics.
While at SIEPR’s helm, Duggan also expanded the institute’s support of interdisciplinary scholarship — an approach that has led to impactful collaborations across Stanford’s seven schools and with visiting scholars.
Earlier this year at Stanford, Duggan was named the recipient of the 2025 Miriam Aaron Roland Volunteer Service Prize in recognition for his work in mentoring and teaching students to apply economics principles to address real world issues.
“I have so enjoyed my time at Stanford, including countless conversations with incredibly talented faculty, students, staff and alumni,” Duggan said. “It has been a tremendous honor to be a faculty member and institute director here, and I will cherish the many friendships I’ve made as I move northeast.”
“I also hope that I’ve remembered how to shovel snow as these past 11-plus years living in the Bay Area have quite possibly made me soft!”
Before arriving at Stanford, Duggan was on the faculty at the University of Chicago, followed by the University of Maryland, and then the University of Pennsylvania. He received his BS and MS in electrical engineering at MIT in 1992 and 1994, respectively, and his PhD in economics from Harvard in 1999.