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R. Richard Geddes

Professor; Director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy

Rick Geddes researches the funding, financing, permitting, operation, and maintenance of heavy civil and social infrastructure, with a focus on the adoption of new technologies. His research has examined network-wide road pricing, infrastructure resilience, and innovative infrastructure financing via public-private partnerships. Professor Geddes is the Founding Director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy (CPIP).

Professor Geddes has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics. His publications have appeared in numerous academic journals, including in Nature, the American Economic Review, Journal of Regulatory Economics, Journal of Legal Studies, Journal of Law & Economics, Transportation Research Part E, and Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, among many others.  

Professor Geddes has won numerous teaching and advising awards, including three Merrill Presidential Scholars Awards for Outstanding Educator, and a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has held numerous visiting and advisory positions. He was the Edward Teller National Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, served as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisors, and was a commissioner on the National Surface Transportation Policy & Revenue Study Commission. Professor Geddes has advised several Fortune 500 companies, including United Parcel Service and CSX, and testifies frequently before House and Senate committees.

He received his undergraduate degree from Towson State University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.