Laurier Assistant Professor Nikolai Cook wins Polanyi Prize in Economic Science

June 10, 2025

Nikolai Cook, an assistant professor of Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, has been awarded the 2024 John Charles Polanyi Prize in Economic Science by the Government of Ontario. The annual awards celebrate five early career scholars who are making significant contributions in the fields of chemistry, economic science, literature, physics and medicine.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime honour for a young researcher,” says Cook. “I am absolutely humbled. It is validation and motivation for me to continue my research.”

Cook will receive $20,000 toward his research program, which focuses on two distinct areas: environmental economics and research credibility.

In the environmental realm, Cook studies the effects of climate change and air pollution on economic outcomes.

“Adapting to climate change is the defining challenge of our time,” says Cook. “I have studied how cold outdoor temperatures negatively affect the productivity of white-collar workers, despite them working in temperature-controlled indoor settings. Recently, I have found that increasingly mild winters could be a significant future contributor to the incidence of gun violence in North America.”

Cook is extending his focus to developing countries that are less resilient to the effects of climate change. He continues to tackle another “crisis” as well: a credibility crisis in the field of economics.

“During my doctoral training, I became interested in the methods that economics researchers were using. At the same time, the public, policymakers and some economists were losing confidence in the research being published in the field,” says Cook. “Since then, I have studied potential solutions to bolster research credibility, such as requiring researchers to share their data or publicly disclose their research plans before collecting data.”

Cook sees credibility and accessibility of information as more critical than ever.

“Scientists play an important role in society, which is to help us make informed policy decisions,” says Cook. “We need to remove some of the filters between academic research and the public so we can better use our resources to address societal problems, including climate change.”

The Polanyi Prizes were presented on June 10, 2025. Winners were commended for their hard work and innovative research, which will generate new ideas and discoveries to enhance the province’s economic growth and competitive edge. The awards honour the achievements of German-born Canadian chemist John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.