Abhijit Banerjee is an Indian-American economist who is well-known for his significant contributions to the field of economics. He was born on February 21, 1961, in Mumbai, India. Banerjee is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed his education at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in economics in 1988. Throughout his career, Banerjee has conducted extensive research in development economics, which focuses on understanding the economic challenges faced by poor and marginalized populations in developing countries.