Few individuals can say that they are an integral part of selecting a winner for what is largely considered the “Nobel Prize for Economics.” But, a lifetime of financial research and study has uniquely positioned Fisher’s Ingrid Werner for that opportunity.

Werner, the Martin & Andrew Murrer Professor of Finance, was recently named to the Prize Committee for the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The six-person committee, made up of finance and economics thought leaders, is responsible for selecting candidates for the annual prize.

“It truly is an honor to be a part of this committee and this award,” Werner said. “My colleagues on the committee, as well as the long and storied list of award winners and nominees, are giants in our field and have made incredible and lasting impacts to economic thought throughout the world. I look forward to contributing to all that this award stands for.”

Werner will serve a three-year term on the committee.

“The Fisher community is proud to see Ingrid’s expertise, insight and dedication to finance and economics rewarded with such a prestigious appointment,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “Few individuals have the working experience, research knowledge and acumen required for service on this committee; fortunately for Fisher and Ohio State, Ingrid possesses these skills and more.”

In addition to the committee appointment, Werner serves as the president of the Western Finance Association and a past president of the European Finance Association. She is on the editorial boards of a number of academic journals, including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Markets and European Financial Management.

“This is a great honor for Professor Werner. She is deeply respected and regarded among the international finance and economic communities,” said Bernadette Minton, chair of Fisher’s Department of Finance and the holder of the Arthur E. Shepard Endowed Professorship in Insurance. “We are fortunate to have her on our faculty and her global economic perspective available to our students and college community.”

While not included among the prizes directly created by Alfred Nobel in 1895, the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was incepted by the Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) in 1968. It has since been awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences according to the same principles as the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.

The first Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.

“The honors keep coming for Professor Werner,” said René Stulz, a colleague and the Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics at Fisher. “Being appointed to the Prize Committee by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is a great honor. It shows that the Swedish Academy knows something that we have known for a long time — that Ingrid is a great scholar with excellent judgment and true dedication to the field of economics.”