Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Developmental Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the only woman among the five winners of the 2013 Dan David Prize. The award, given by the Dan David Foundation, which is headquartered at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel, recognizes individuals who have left an indelible impression whether scientific, technological, cultural, or social in one of three dimensions of time: past, present or future.
Professor Duflo received the Future Time Dimension Award for her pioneering research on the prevention of diseases, including malaria and HIV, and the long-term health effects of indoor air pollution on women and children.
Dr. Duflo is the winner of a MacArthur genius award and holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT. She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (PublicAffairs, 2011).
Professor Duflo will be presented the award, which comes with a $1 million prize, at an awards ceremony this June in Tel Aviv.