Indian American Economist Bhaven Sampat Named Bloomberg Professor at Johns Hopkins

Sampat, formerly a professor at Columbia University, will split his time between the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering. His research will focus on how federal funding and patent rules influence the direction of scientific research, particularly in medicine and public health.

His work has documented the growing role of public sector research in drug development, including how government grants and tax credits underpin many new therapies. Sampat has also studied the effects of patent reform on innovation, showing that stronger intellectual property protections do not always lead to more breakthroughs.

At Johns Hopkins, Sampat will teach courses on science policy and lead a research group examining the impact of government R&D spending. He plans to collaborate with faculty across engineering, medicine, and public health to develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers.

Sampat earned his PhD in economics from Columbia University and previously held positions at the University of Arizona and the National Bureau of Economic Research. His appointment is part of Johns Hopkins' broader initiative to bring leading scholars into interdisciplinary roles that address complex societal problems.