John DiNardo, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, died Aug. 26, 2017, of complications from leukemia. He was 56.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1983 and a master’s degree in public policy in 1984, both from Michigan. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton in 1990.
DiNardo held academic positions at the University of California, Irvine; the University of California, Berkeley; MIT; and RAND. Since 2001, he had been a professor at the University of Michigan with appointments in the Ford School of Public Policy and the department of economics.
He was recognized for his work in applied econometric methods. He wrote papers on the economics of labor unions, including studies of their impact on wages and inequality. He was a dedicated adviser and mentor to Ph.D. students and junior faculty. DiNardo had been a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of the Society of Labor Economists. He was known for his passion for truth and social justice.
DiNardo is survived by his wife of 22 years, Jean E. Wohlever *87, whom he met at Princeton.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.