PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – Four PSTC faculty associates were named endowed chairs by the Corporation of Brown University during its last meeting in May. The Corporation approved the appointment of the following PSTC faculty associates:

Andrew Foster, George S. and Nancy B. Parker Professor of Economics

Foster is an empirical microeconomist working in the areas of population, development, and environmental economics. He has an interest in sources of long economic and social mobility in low-income rural areas.

Katherine Mason, Vartan Gregorian Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Mason is a medical anthropologist who has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in China and the U.S. Her research addresses issues in medical anthropology, anthropological demography, population health, global health, bioethics, China studies, reproductive health, and mental health.

Emily Oster, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Economics

Oster studies health and development economics. She has worked on issues of demand for medical testing and the consequences of health information for behavior. Her work extends to studying HIV in the developing world, as well as issues of gender inequality.

Jesse Shapiro, Eastman Professor of Political Economy

Shapiro’s research addresses industrial organization, political economy, and behavioral economics. He is most well-known for his use of novel data to answer economic questions that are important for public policy and society.