E54 -How to Negotiate with Matt Notowidigdo

In this episode we talk with Matt Notowidigdo about negotiating. Matt is a Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth. He holds a BS in economics, a BS in computer engineering, a MEng in computer science, and a PhD in economics. He is currently a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research, and he is a co-editor at American Economic Journal - Economic Policy Notowidigdo and an Associate Editor at the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Sebastian Tello-Trillo is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.

Alex Hollingsworth is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Ohio State University.

Henry Morris is our main editor. He is a student at the University of Virginia studying computer science and mathematics. or of Economics at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Indiana University.

In this episode we discussed:

• Matt’s structured approach to managing no more than six projects at a time
• Time management with kids and boundaries after tenure
• Institutional differences in how research and teaching loads are supported
• Why lunchtime culture matters for faculty community
• A crash course on academic job market negotiations

📚 Resources mentioned:

• BFI EDE (Expanding Diversity in Economics) program: https://bfi.uchicago.edu/ede
• AEA Summer Program at Howard University: https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/aeasp
• Book: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – negotiation insights from a former FBI hostage negotiator

🎮 Recommendations of the week:

• Overcooked – a co-op kitchen game for Nintendo Switch
• 👶 Alex’s rec: PBS Kids Apps
• 🛫 Sebastian’s rec: Altos Odyssey