Matthew Baron's primary research focus is on banking crises. These periods of extreme stress in banking systems, which often involve widespread bank failures and depositor runs, are a recurring phenomenon throughout economic history. The overarching goal of his work is to uncover the fundamental sources of financial fragility, understand the mechanisms through which distress in the financial sector affects the macroeconomy, and guide policy development to prevent future banking crises.
Baron's published work has appeared in academic journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Review of Financial Studies. His research has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and other media outlets. His research is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, Institute for New Economic Thinking, Governor's Woods Foundation, Cornell Center for Social Sciences, and Einaudi Center for International Studies. He has served as a visiting researcher at the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Baron will teach Investments at the McDonough School of Business in Fall 2025. Baron was previously a professor at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he taught MBA-level Investment & Portfolio Management and Behavioral Finance for ten years, along with short courses for the Cornell-Tsinghua Executive MBA program and the Finance PhD program. He has advised a variety of PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants, who have subsequently attained positions at top-ranked academic institutions and central banks around the world.
Baron holds a PhD in economics from Princeton University and a BS in mathematics from Yale University. He was previously Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (with tenure) at Cornell University.
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Associate Professor, MSB - Finance Area