Adrien Bilal (X2010), Best Young Economist of 2026

Adrien Bilal (Class of 2010, Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton), an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University and later at Stanford University, is the winner of the 27th Best Young Economist Award.

Adrien Bilal's work focuses on the economic consequences of global warming. In particular, he has developed an economic model designed to better capture the global impacts of climate change, which he estimates will cost 50% of GDP by 2100.

Established in 2000 by the French newspaper Le Monde and the Cercle des économistes, the Best Young Economist Award recognizes the work of a French economist or one based in France who is under 41 years of age. It recognizes the candidates’ academic excellence but also aims to highlight their ability to stay attuned to current economic and social realities and to provide solutions to the most pressing problems.

The 27th edition of the Best Young Economist Award attracted 56 entries, and the jury selected three of them for honors in addition to the winner. Two of the three candidates recognized by the jury are also alumni of École Polytechnique.

Lucas Chancel, an associate professor at Sciences Po, whose research highlights the interplay between economic development, scarcity of resources, and social justice—emphasizing the links between social inequality and ecological constraints—holds a joint master’s degree in “Economics and Public Policy” from École Polytechnique, ENSAE, and Sciences Po.

Mathilde Muñoz, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies the impact of tax policies on the migration patterns of high-income taxpayers in globalized economies, holds a joint Master’s degree in Economics from École Polytechnique, HEC, ENSAE, and ENS Cachan.