Research

My research was originally in the field of mechanism design, but over time I have drifted into complex systems -- things like economies, ecosystems, and political systems. I'm particularly interested in the effects of diversity and variation within those systems. Does diversity make a system more productive, more robust? I know a lot less than I don't know about this topic, so that opens up ample opportunities. I'm fortunate to be able to work with a collection of brilliant people -- Lu Hong, John Miller, PJ Lamberson, Russell Golman, Ken Kollman, and Jenna Bednar -- as I try to make sense of the world.

I frequently give talks on the various roles that diversity plays in complex systems. I speak to community groups, high schools, corporations, government agencies, NGOs, and university audiences.

Personal

I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my partner, Jenna Bednar our two sons Orrie and Cooper, a 13 year old Great Pyrenees, Zozobra, and a young Bernese Mountain Dog, Bounder.

Jenna is a political science professor at the University of Michigan and the author of ``The Robust Federation: Principles of Design" Cambridge University Press. She and I have a joint research project on modeling culture. Orrie and Cooper have yet to carve out career paths -- though dog walker is on Cooper's short list of potential jobs. The dogs appear to have no career aspirations.

Prior to becoming parents, Jenna and I led a relaxed, diverse life. Jenna rode horses, took yoga classes, and did volunteer work. I was an avid basketball player, enjoyed long weekend walks, Iand harbored ambitions of developing as a surfer -- of oceans, not just the web. At one point, in our lives, we owned 70 acres of farm land and raised a large herd of cattle (okay, we only owned nine, but still that's not bad for two social scientists).

Our lives are now very different. When not making designer eyegwear from Lego (see right), reading, riding bikes, losing to my sons at Bas-Ket, mancala, eeking out victories at table hockey, or making swords and bows and arrows out of found sticks, I can be found either in the kitchen (cutting fruit and cheese into swords and pirate ships) or down in the basement on my Concept II rower, on which I have yet to break the 37 minute barrier for 10K (but I'm close)

Early in the morning, I can be seen either walking my dog or chipping a little white ball back and forth over the greens at Radrick Farms Golf Course.

These familiy activities provide a welcome respite from administrative duties at the University, which include having to attend meetings to decide when to have meetings. At these meetings, the powers that be attempt to shorten my lifespan with trans fat laden foods.


Is This The Scott Page I Know?

Scott Page is a common name, so you might be wondering if I am the Scott Page that you know or used to know. Other Scott Page's lead fascinating fulfilling lives as well. One was a producer of Wheel of Fortune!

This Scott Page grew up in Yankee Springs, Michigan on Gun Lake, and pumped gas and dipped ice cream cones at Page's Resort. This Scott Page used to have really big hair, so big in fact that during his fourth grade picture session the photographer found a six inch stick caught in his 'fro from recess. This Scott Page attended Middleville-Thornapple Kellogg High School played basketball, sang poorly in musicals, wrote for the school paper (only to get punished for an unfortunate cartoon regarding the school administration), and got rid of the politically offensive "slave day" only to see it resurrected a year later.

This Scott Page was an undergrad at Michigan, majored in math, led walking tours, and was elected MSA president. This Scott Page taught math at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dressed as a box of Junior Mints for Madison's annual Halloween party, helped unionize the teaching assistants and failed to win an intramural basketball championship. This Scott Page taught statistics and decision theory at Kellogg Graduate School of Management, finally won an intramural basketball championship (though not it the open division), and appeared on late night "you too can be a volunteer for Chicago public schools commercials".

This Scott Page taught at Caltech dominated the undergrads at basketball (for the most part), and avoided being the victim of any demeaning stacks. Though he did participate in his share. This Scott Page also gave those half serious talks on the economic impact of the Tournament of Roses. And finally, prior to coming to Michigan, this Scott Page taught game theory courses at the University of Iowa.

Education:

BA Mathematics University of Michigan,1985.

MA Mathematics University of Wisconsin, 1988.

MS Business, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 1990

PHD Managerial Economics & Decisions Sciences, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University1993.

Advisor: Stan Reiter
Committee: Roger Myerson, Mark Satterthwaite, and Matthew Jackson.

Employment History

California Institute of Technology:
Assistant professor of economics 1993-1997

University of California - Los Angeles:
Visiting professor of economics 1995

University of Iowa:
Associate professor of economics 1997-1999

University of Michigan:
Associate professor of complex systems, political science, and economics 2000-2003.

University of Michigan:
Professor of complex systems, political science, and economics 2004-2008.

University of Michigan:
Leonid Hurwicz Collegiate Professor of complex systems, political science, and economics 2008-Present.

Santa Fe Institute
External Faculty 1999-2005, 2006 - Present