Peter Schochet receives 2026 Peter H. Rossi Award for excellence in program evaluation

Mathematica congratulates Dr. Peter Z. Schochet, Senior Fellow Emeritus, on receiving the 2026 Peter H. Rossi Award for Contributions to the Theory or Practice of Program Evaluation, one of the field's highest honors. The award recognizes individuals whose work has made lasting contributions to advancing the science and practice of program evaluation.

Schochet will receive the award and present his work at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Annual Fall Research Conference in Boston, MA on Thursday, November 5, at 1:45 p.m.

The award recognizes Schochet's career-long contributions to improving how public programs are rigorously evaluated. Over more than three decades at Mathematica, he transformed the statistical foundations of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in applied settings while leading many of the nation's most influential evaluations of education and workforce policy. Schochet helped translate these studies into practice by co-developing RCT-YES, a free software package supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, enabling researchers and practitioners to implement rigorous methods in randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations. As a result, Schochet’s work continues to have an impact on the everyday practice of evaluation.

"Peter's work has fundamentally advanced the field of program evaluation and strengthened the evidence policymakers rely on to improve people's lives," said Paul Decker, President and CEO of Mathematica. "Throughout his distinguished career, Peter combined methodological innovation with a commitment to producing research that makes a meaningful difference in public policy. His contributions continue to influence how evaluations are designed, conducted, and applied, and we are delighted to see him receive this well-deserved recognition."

Schochet earned his Ph.D. in Economics and M.Phil. in Statistics from Yale University before joining Mathematica, where he spent 33 years advancing evaluation methods and leading groundbreaking policy research. He retired as Senior Fellow Emeritus and now serves as a private consultant through SchoStat Consulting. He has published extensively in leading economics, statistics, and policy journals and has served on numerous editorial boards and national advisory committees.