Photo: Digarnick at en.wikipedia / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert C. Merton fascinates me because he took something as abstract as continuous-time mathematics and turned it into a tool for pricing real-world risk. Sharing the 1997 Nobel Memorial Prize for the option pricing work behind the Black-Scholes-Merton model, he reshaped how the world thinks about finance. What I find most compelling, though, is that his elegant theory was later tested hard by messy markets. The best economists are not the ones with the cleanest equations but the ones willing to live in the gap between theory and reality, and Merton has spent a career standing right there.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert C. Merton
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・マートン
- Reading
- ろばーと・まーとん
- Born
- July 31, 1944 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Monkey
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- economist / university teacher
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1997 Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
- 2010 The Kolmogorov Lecture and Medal
- 1983 Fellow of the Econometric Society
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- honorary doctor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- honorary degree of HEC Paris
- 1995 honorary doctor of Paris Dauphine University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Black–Scholes model | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert C. Merton born?
Born July 31, 1944 (age 81).
Where is Robert C. Merton from?
Robert C. Merton is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Robert C. Merton do?
Robert C. Merton works as economist, university teacher.
What is Robert C. Merton known for?
Notable works include Black–Scholes model.
Economist — see all → · University teacher — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-24
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.