UNAM Awards Ricardo Torres Gaitán Chair to Aris Spanos

Through its Institute of Economic Research (IIEc), UNAM has awarded the 2025 Ricardo Torres Gaitán Chair to Aris Spanos of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for his contributions to inferential statistics methodology and econometric modeling.

During the ceremony, Miguel Armando López Leyva, UNAM’s Humanities Coordinator, emphasized that the Ricardo Torres Gaitán Chair was established to promote and advance economic research, particularly in economic development.

Representing President Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, López Leyva highlighted that Ricardo Torres Gaitán remains an influential figure for generations of Mexican economists. His legacy is deeply embedded in the university’s history; he served as Director of the IIEc from 1950 to 1952 and later as Head of the then-National School of Economics from 1953 to 1961. His research pioneered new approaches to monetary policy, trade relations in Mexico and Latin America, economic crises, and unemployment.

López Leyva also announced that the 2025 Chair will be awarded to Aris Spanos, who holds a PhD in econometrics from the London School of Economics and specializes in epistemology, the philosophy of social sciences, and probability theory, among other fields.

IIEc Director Armando Sánchez Vargas emphasized that the ceremony is a significant academic tribute to Ricardo Torres Gaitán’s lasting contributions to economics and the university community. He added that naming the Chair in his honor reflects his enduring impact on academia.