Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee is an eminent economist with dual Indian and American nationality. He serves as the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Banerjee contributes significantly to the use of scientific evidence in developing strategies to alleviate poverty globally.

In recognition of his pioneering work, Banerjee was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2019, which he shared with his colleagues Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. His marriage to Esther Duflo marks them as the sixth married couple to jointly receive a Nobel or Nobel Memorial Prize.

Banerjee's illustrious career includes fellowships with the Econometric Society, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His potential to make groundbreaking contributions to his field was recognized early on when he received a Sloan Research Fellowship in 1994. According to Research Papers in Economics, he is considered one of the most productive development economists in the world.