William F. Sharpe
William F. Sharpe received the 1990 prize in Economic Sciences. This profile brings together the official award record and attributed background on the economist’s work and career.
Personal and professional profile
- Name
- William F. Sharpe [1]
- Full name
- William F. Sharpe [2]
- Birth date
- 1934-06-16 [2]
- Birthplace
- Boston, MA, USA [2]
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles; Riverside Polytechnic High School [3]
- Fields / occupation
- economist; university teacher [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 1990 [2]
- Research recognized
- for their pioneering work in the theory of financial economics [2]
- Prize share
- 1/3 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- Stanford University [2]
- Institutions in career record
- Stanford University [3]
Research, education and career background
William Forsyth Sharpe (born June 16, 1934) is an American economist. He is the STANCO 25 Professor of Finance, Emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. [4]
Sharpe was one of the originators of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). He created the Sharpe ratio for risk-adjusted investment performance analysis, and he contributed to the development of the binomial method for the valuation of options, the gradient method for asset allocation optimization, and returns-based style analysis for evaluating the style and performance of investment funds. [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — William F. Sharpe, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official facts are cited separately.
Award and academic affiliation
The official Nobel record dates the Economic Sciences award to 1990 and lists Stanford University as the affiliation at the time. [2]
An affiliation attached to an award describes that point in the person’s career; it does not establish a current appointment. [2]
Education and career timeline
Source-supported connections
Frequently asked questions
When did William F. Sharpe receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 1990. [2]
Which institution was William F. Sharpe affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
Stanford University. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
William F. Sharpe connection map
Select a node to inspect the relationship and source.
Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.
Sources and review dates
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Wikidata background facts (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — William F. Sharpe (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.