Hal R. Varian, former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Information and professor emeritus, has been named a 2026 Citation Laureate, an annual award that recognizes influential researchers considered likely to win the Nobel Prize in their field. He was named alongside Dr. Susan C. Athey of Stanford University for their “pioneering analysis of the economics of information technology.”
Varian served as dean of the School of Information from 1995 to 2003, facilitating the transition from the School of Librarianship to the School of Information Management and Systems. As a professor, he taught courses at the Haas School of Business, Department of Economics, and the School of Information until 2010. He also served as Google’s first-ever chief economist, where he shaped their online ad auction system and advised on strategy.
He also is an accomplished author, with over 100 published papers in economic theory, industrial organization, financial economics, econometrics, and information economics. Two of his major economics textbooks have been translated into 22 languages.
Citation Laureates identify researchers whose work is of Nobel class and have made pioneering contributions that continue to shape science and society. Laureates’ research papers rank among the most highly cited in their fields, and are chosen through rigorous citation analysis and expert insight by Clarivate, an information services firm that maintains scientific reference and citation data. Since the program's inception in 1989, 89 Citation Laureates have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.
Varian has received major honors throughout his illustrious career, including being named a fellow of the American Economic Association, Guggenheim Foundation, the Econometric Society, California Council of Science and Technology, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also won the Paul Geroski Best Paper Prize, John von Neumann Award, and Humboldt Research Prize from various international institutions.
