A University of Warwick academic has received national recognition for his work after being elected as a Fellow to the British Academy. 

Professor Peter Hammond, from the Department of Economics, was one of 38 scholars to be elected this year to the prestigious Fellowship. 

After spending several decades at Stanford University in California, Peter returned to the UK in 2007 to take up the post of Marie Curie Professor of Economic Theory at Warwick University.  

In addition to teaching aspects and applications of economic theory to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, Peter is currently working on an EU-funded project entitled ‘Adapting to the Entirely Unpredictable, and Other Aspects of Dynamic Behaviour: Beyond the von Neumann Standard Paradigm in Games and Economics’. 

Other areas of research interest include infinite horizon planning; games and allocation mechanisms with many agents; social choice and the specification of ethical objectives for economic policy; decision theory; gains from economic migration; and the efficient regulation of insurance and credit markets subject to adverse selection. 

Peter became a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 1977, was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1987–8 and an Alexander von Humboldt Research Award in 1993–4, as well as being awarded honorary doctorates from the Universities of Kiel and Oslo.  

Apart from numerous scientific papers, Peter has co-edited ‘The Handbook of Utility Theory’ (of which there are two volumes so far) and co-authored ‘Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis’ for undergraduate students and ‘Further Mathematics for Economic Analysis’ for postgraduate students. 

On joining the Fellowship, Peter said: “I am happy to share credit for this great honour with a wide circle of teachers, advisers and colleagues whose generosity with their time, wisdom, confidence and support has made this possible. 

“It is also a welcome reminder of one’s duty to ensure that important guiding principles and ideas continue to be passed onto the next generation. Not least, it emphasises the need to ensure that similar opportunities for an academic career remain available to those most able to benefit from them.”

“On a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to some  wonderful colleagues and staff members in the Economics Department, and elsewhere in the University, who made my return to the UK not only possible, but such an agreeable experience.” 

Notes to editors 

For further information please contact: 

Natalie Field, Assistant Press Officer Communications Office, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL

E-mail: natalie.field@warwick.ac.uk 

Tel: +44 (0)24 7657 5601  Mobile/Cell: +44 (0)7824 541142