Abhijit Banerjee is an Indian-born economist who is widely recognized for his contributions to development economics and poverty alleviation. He was born on February 21, 1961 in Mumbai, India. Banerjee obtained his education from prestigious institutions, including the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Harvard University. Banerjee co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in 2003, along with Esther Duflo and Sendhil Mullainathan. J-PAL is a global research center that aims to reduce poverty by conducting randomized controlled trials to evaluate and improve various social policies and interventions. The research conducted by J-PAL has had a significant impact on understanding the effectiveness of anti-poverty measures.