Melitz to leave for post at Harvard

Melitz, who specializes in the economics of international trade, said he decided to leave because of “family considerations.”

“This happened very recently, over the past month,” he said. “Before that, I was expecting to stay at Princeton for the foreseeable future.”

The economics departments at Harvard and Princeton — widely considered to be two of the best in the country — have a history of faculty rivalry, but Melitz said no special perks drew him to return to Harvard.

“I am planning to do exactly the same research at Harvard that I have been pursuing at Princeton,” he explained. “This decision was not made because of a research opportunity that was available at Harvard but not at Princeton. Similarly, this decision was not made due to any disappointment with any work-related conditions at Princeton.”

Melitz added that he has mixed feelings about leaving his students and research at the University, but he also noted that he will stay in touch with the graduate students currently under his supervision.

“[Princeton] provided an amazing environment for research,” he said. “The students are also amazing, and it was a pleasure interacting with them. If I could change anything, I would just wish that I could have managed my schedule better to find more time to participate more fully in the University community activities.”

Politics and Wilson School professor Emilie Hafner-Burton will also be leaving the University for family reasons, she said in an e-mail. She is expecting a child in September.

Hafner-Burton said she and her husband, Stanford Law School professor David Victor, will both accept positions at UC San Diego in the fall.

“San Diego is a terrific institution, and we are pleased to both accept permanent positions on their faculty,” she said, adding, “I love Princeton University and will miss my colleagues and students tremendously.”

Several students said that Jason Lyall, also a professor in the politics department and the Wilson School, will resign his position at Princeton to go to Yale next year. Lyall did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Other students said religion professors R. Marie Griffith and Leigh Schmidt GS ’87, who are married, will leave to take jobs at Harvard next year. Griffith and Schmidt both declined to comment.