Passing of Philippe Martin, Professor at Sciences Po

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Philippe Martin, Professor at Sciences Po within the Department of Economics, Dean of the School of Public Affairs.

Philippe Martin was a leading economist, internationally recognised by his peers, who specialised in the field of international economics and economic geography, amongst others.

After studying at Sciences Po and obtaining a postgraduate diploma (DEA) from the Paris-Dauphine University, he then was awarded a PhD from Georgetown University.

He went on to become an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and at the Paris School of Economics, and a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), before joining Sciences Po in 2009. In 2002 he was awarded the prize for the best young economist in France.

A gifted, imaginative and prolific researcher, a professor respected and loved by his students, Philippe Martin was consulted by political, administrative and economic leaders (he was the economic adviser to the Minister for the Economy, Industry and Digital Technologies from 2015 to 2017). He also sought to address a wider audience by regularly appearing in the media.

His academic influence and authority naturally led him to become a member of the most eminent bodies bringing together economists, such as the Cercle des économistes, the Centre for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), where he was a Research Fellow and Vice-Chairman, and the Conseil d'analyse économique (CAE), of which he was Deputy Chairman.

At Sciences Po, Philippe Martin played a decisive role on many occasions.  

He was one of the founders and the first director of the economics department, to which he gave decisive scientific recognition and impetus in just a few years. 

In 2021, he was appointed a member of the FNSP's Board of Directors , in the college of representatives of the founders, and then elected to the vice-presidency.

Since February 2022, he was the Dean of the School of Public Affairs. It was a position he loved deeply, perhaps because it brought together all that he held dear, beyond research: teaching, students, public service and action, and the power of working together.

An account of his academic talents and the eminent positions he held cannot capture who Philippe Martin truly was. There was something about him that escaped hagiographic considerations, however well-founded.

A rigorous and acute thinker, Philippe Martin showed insight and courage in all circumstances, and with all who crossed his path. Nothing about him was ostentatious, contrived or affected; he was unwavering , honest and always got to the heart of the matter. Never a hypocrite, never afraid to take on a fight or irritate, he was nonetheless extremely attentive to others, with the discretion and sensitivity of those who take a genuine interest in others.

We are all, at the School of Public Affairs, in the Department of Economics, among the deans, members of the faculty, Sciences Po teams and students, deeply saddened.