Leah Boustan, a prominent scholar in economic history and labor economics, has been appointed the Malcolm K. Brachman Professor of Economics at Yale University, effective July 1, enhancing the university’s faculty expertise in these fields. 

Yale University has announced the appointment of Leah Boustan as the Malcolm K. Brachman Professor of Economics, effective July 1, 2026. Boustan, who joined Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2025, also directs the Program in Economic History.

Her academic research focuses on the intersections of migration, labor markets, and inequality throughout American history. Notably, she has examined significant trends such as the Great Black Migration from the rural South during and after World War II and the mass migration from Europe to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Boustan’s notable publications include her first book, “Competition in the Promised Land: Black Migrants in Northern Cities and Labor Markets,” which has received awards from the Social Science History Association and the Economic History Association. Her recent book, “Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success,” was recognized as one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2022.

Throughout her career, Boustan has garnered numerous accolades, including the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and a fellowship from the Econometrics Society. She is also an active speaker and has been invited to give keynote presentations on her research and recent publications.

At Yale, Boustan introduced a new graduate course on American economic history and updated the Program in Economic History through new seminars and collaborations. Besides her role at Yale, she is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has held editorial positions with prestigious journals in economics and urban studies.

Boustan holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

You can read more in the Yale press release.

Find out more about Leah Boustan on her Yale profile page, her personal site at Yale, or on her Google Scholar page.