Roland Fryer

About Roland Fryer

Roland Gerhard Fryer Jr. (born June 4, 1977) is an American economist and professor at Harvard University. Fryer joined the faculty of Harvard University and rapidly rose through the academic ranks; in 2007, at age 30, he became one of the youngest professors (economists Jeffrey Sachs and Lawrence H. Summers both received tenure at 28), and the youngest African American, ever to be awarded tenure at Harvard. He has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011 and the John Bates Clark Medal in 2015. Fryer began his research career studying social image and segregation, and then moved toward empirical issues, particularly those concerning race and ethnicity. His work on the racial achievement gap in the US led to a stint as chief equality officer for New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in which role Fryer implemented a pilot program rewarding low-income students with money for earning high test scores.