AUCTIONOMICS - Key Persons

Albert is a Princeton and Stanford graduate and supports the team on spectrum auctions and internet advertising.

Andrew is a Harvard graduate and has assisted Auctionomics with spectrum auctions in the US, Canada and Turkey, and with projects on internet advertising and bond auctions.

Job Titles:

• Economist

Economist (Ph.D from Stanford University) with legal background and expertise in the fields of regulation, competition and energy. Served as Chairman of the Israeli Electricity Authority and as Chief Economist of the Israeli Competition Authority. Profile

Job Titles:

• Professor in the Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University
• Professor of Economics at Stanford University

Ilya R. Segal is the Roy and Betty Anderson Professor of Economics at Stanford University. His research examines the design of contracts, auctions, bargaining, and other economic mechanisms, particularly in complex environments. Ilya Segal is the Roy and Betty Anderson Professor in the Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and Professor by courtesy in the Graduate School of Business. His research is in microeconomic theory and industrial organization, particularly in the design of auctions and allocation mechanisms, property rights and investments, and multilateral contracting. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and has been a Sloan Research Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow. In 2008, he received the 2008 Compass-Lexecon prize for the most significant contribution to the understanding and implementation of competition policy. He received his PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Job Titles:

• Expert

Andy is a leading expert in spectrum auctions and valuation. At Vodafone he was responsible for spectrum policy and auctions across 28 countries. He complements his experience with a deep understanding of the regulator's perspective, having worked both in the UK (Ofcom) and globally (GSMA). An engineer with broad experience in the telecoms and technology sectors, Andy has a particular interest in spectrum (auctions and valuation) and the impact of new technology (5G, AI, IoT and Big Data). He brings a deep understanding of both the industry and regulatory perspectives around the world through his role as Head of Policy for the GSMA and as Director of Spectrum Policy at Ofcom. Andy spent 12 years at Vodafone, where he held various senior product development and corporate strategy roles. As Head of Spectrum, he was responsible for managing spectrum policy and auctions across the Vodafone Group. He led over twenty spectrum auctions around the world (including Turkey, Italy, Germany, India, Spain, Italy, Greece, Australia, Romania, NL and UK) from strategy/business case development to Plc. Board level sign-off and in-country implementation. He was formerly a management consultant, has launched an internet payments and encryption company and worked as a research scientist at Sharp Laboratories of Europe and Sony Corporation, based in Japan. He has a doctorate in Engineering Science from Oxford University and an MBA. He is a frequent invited speaker at international conferences.

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• Associate Professor

Dr. Asuncion Mochon is currently Associate Professor of Economics. She has lead analysis for our strategists in high stakes auctions since 2011, and she is currently project manager.

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• Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia
• Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of BC

Kevin Leyton-Brown is Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of BC and has lead several software teams for our clients. Kevin Leyton-Brown is professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia. He holds a PhD and M.Sc. from Stanford University (2003; 2001) and a B.Sc. from McMaster University (1998). Much of his work is at the intersection of computer science and microeconomics, addressing computational problems in economic contexts and incentive issues in multiagent systems. He also studies the application of machine learning to the automated design and analysis of algorithms for solving hard computational problems. He is a core member of our team working on the FCC incentive auction driving innovative software research. Kevin has co-written two books, "Multiagent Systems" and "Essentials of Game Theory," and over eighty peer-refereed technical articles, and co-taught the Coursera course "Game Theory" to over 130,000 students. With his coauthors, he has received paper awards from JAIR, ACM-EC, AAMAS and LION, and numerous medals for the portfolio-based SAT solver SATzilla at international SAT competitions (2003-12). He was program chair for the ACM Conference on Electronic Commerce (ACM-EC) in 2012, and serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR), the Artificial Intelligence Journal (AIJ), and ACM Transactions on Economics and Computation. He split his 2010-11 sabbatical between Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. He has served as a consultant for Trading Dynamics Inc., Ariba Inc., and Cariocas Inc., and was scientific advisor to Zite Inc until it was acquired by CNN in 2011.

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• Professor at the Technical University of Munich

Martin Bichler is professor at the Technical University of Munich. He has assisted bidders and governments worldwide in CCA and SMRA spectrum auctions.

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• Assistant Professor of Economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Assistant Professor of Economics at Stanford GSB

Mohammad is Assistant Professor of Economics at Stanford GSB, where he teaches an MBA course on the economics of marketplaces and a doctorate course on auction theory. Dr. Mohammad Akbarpour is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches an MBA course on the economics of marketplaces and a doctorate course on auction theory. He received his PhD in Economics from Stanford University in 2015. In 2016, he participated in the Review of Economic Studies Tour, an award given to the world's most promising graduating doctoral students of economics and finance. Mohammad's research bridges between computer science and economic theory, and is focused on marketplace design, auction theory, and networked markets. He has held research positions at Auctionomics and Microsoft Research, where he worked on designing auction markets for spectrum and sponsored search. He has also been an instructor at Khan Academy Farsi, teaching hundreds of video-lectures in game theory, physics, calculus, and macroeconomics.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Co - Founder
• Economist

Dr. Silvia Console Battilana is an entrepreneur and economist holding a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. She has extensive experience as a strategist in bidder advisory and auction design. Silvia is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.

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• Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at Universidad Carlos III of Madrid
• Professor of Computer Sciences at the University Carlos III

Dr. Yago Saez serves as an associate professor in the Computer Science Department at Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, having earned his tenure. With a prolific publication record, he has authored over a hundred research articles spanning journals and conferences dedicated to Artificial Intelligence and auctions. Dr. Saez is widely recognized as a seasoned computer scientist, bringing substantial expertise to the development of sophisticated auction software and intelligent bid tracking tools. Beyond academia, he serves as a valuable advisor, supporting us in navigating radio spectrum auctions through service contracts with his university. Notable projects including Canada 5G auctions, 2500 MHz, 3500MHz, Canada 600 MHz, Mexico IFT-3 AWS, the US FCC incentive auction, and the Czech Republic 800MHz, among others. During these projects he has lead the development of many advanced tools, including Machine Learning and curreltly applied Generative AI. Having earned his degree in computer engineering in 1999, Dr. Yago later achieved his Ph.D. in Computer Science (Software Engineering) from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, in 2005. He is an integral member of the Evolutionary Computation, Neural Networks, and Artificial Intelligence research group (EVANNAI). His primary research areas encompass evolutionary computation techniques, applications in Computational Economics and Finance, and optimization through meta-heuristics. Yago Saez is Professor of Computer Sciences at the University Carlos III. He has wide experience working with Auctionomics (since 2011), applying ML techniques, leading the design and development of software tools. Currently, he is leading the R&D of applied generative AI.

Eric received his bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics from Stanford University. His research interests include online marketplaces and market design with redistributive goals.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force

Gary Epstein most recently was Chair of the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force. He led the Task Force and the FCC's successful implementation of the world's first ever broadcast incentive spectrum auction. Gary Epstein was Chair of the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force from April 2012 until April 2017. The auction successfully concluded on April 13, 2017. He led the Task Force and the Commission's implementation of the world's first ever broadcast incentive spectrum auction under the Spectrum Act passed by Congress in February of 2012. The auction repurposed 84 MHz of UHF spectrum and raised almost $20 billion dollars. Epstein was the founder and Global Chair of the Communications Practice Group of Latham & Watkins, a national and international law firm. For 25 years he was Chair of the Practice Group and led the firm's Telecommunications Law Practice. His practice focused primarily on advising companies on United States regulations of telecommunications, satellite and broadcast providers. He also advised non-US governments and investors on privatizations and restructurings of telecom sectors and advised companies on such policies as US ownership restrictions and authorizations for international services. In previous roles at the FCC, he served as the Digital Television Coordinator during the digital television transition and as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau when the Bureau had jurisdiction over telecommunications, commercial wireless, satellite and international communications matters. Directly before rejoining the FCC in 2012, Epstein was the Managing Director and General Counsel of the Aspen Institute International Digital Economy Accords (IDEA) Project, a year-long project designed to identify ways to promote innovation, market access opportunities and promote the free flow of communications across borders on an open Internet. Epstein also was Executive Vice President Law and Regulation of an advanced satellite company developing an integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network. Epstein graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, with highest honors. He graduated from Harvard Law School with a JD, with honors.

Job Titles:

• Student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. I'M Supervised by Kevin Leyton - Brown

Hunter is a Stanford Computer Science graduate who previously wrote software at Facebook. Currently, he designs simulations and conducts economic analysis for both internet advertising and spectrum auctions.

Luis Adarve studied at Stanford University. He is an entrepreneur and software expert.

Mitch is a doctoral candidate in economics at Stanford University with a focus on market design. Mitch consults at Auctionomics on auction design and strategy.

Neil is a PhD student in the Computer Science department at the University of British Columbia. He has developed software for Auctionomics for spectrum auctions in the US and Canada.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor of Economics at Stanford University

Paulo Somaini is Associate Professor of Economics at Stanford University, specializing in industrial organization, econometrics, and microeconomic theory. He has extensive experience in econometric modeling of auctions and other allocation mechanisms.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor
• Associate Professor of Economics at Princeton University

Jakub is Associate Professor of Economics at Princeton University and has designed many auctions. He has extensive experience with auctions in financial securities. Jakub Kastl is Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Princeton University. His research is in the field of industrial organization, particularly the financial markets, auctions, and market design. He is a Sloan Research Fellow and an NSF Career Award recipient. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University. He has deep expertise for auctions in the financial sector and linked to monetary policy. Most recently, he has worked on projects on treasury auctions, spectrum auctions and has been consulting for various central banks.

Jonathan Levin is the Philip H. Knight Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has successfully advised several fortune 500 companies in high stakes auctions across the globe. He is also part of the team designing the FCC incentive auction and has worked on market design in the healthcare sector. Jonathan Levin is the Philip H. Knight Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Chair of Stanford's Department of Economics, and as the Director of the Industrial Organization Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research is in the field of industrial organization, particularly the economics of contracting, organizations, and market design. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and has been a Sloan Research Fellow, an NSF Career Award recipient, and winner of department and school-wide teaching awards. In 2011, he received the John Bates Clark Medal as the economist under the age of forty who has made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from MIT.

Job Titles:

• Professor of Economics at the University of Naples Federico II

Marco is Professor of Economics at the University of Naples Federico II. He has advised widely on bidding strategies in spectrum auctions and takeover contests. Marco Pagnozzi is Professor of Economics at the University of Naples Federico II, Director of the Master in Economics and Finance and of the Laurea Magistrale in Economics and Finance, and research fellow at CSEF. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University and a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics from the University of Naples Federico II. His research focuses on auction theory, industrial organization, information economics and experimental economics. He has published scientific papers in numerous academic journals, including American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Economic Journal, Experimental Economics, Games and Economic Behavior, International Journal of Industrial Organization, RAND Journal of Economics, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy and Journal of Industrial Economics. Marco has been consulted by governments and private companies in several countries on the design of auctions for spectrum licenses, privatizations, electricity markets, natural gas, nonperforming loans, greenhouse gas emission allowances, bank services, medical services and exporting licenses. He has advised on bidding strategies in auctions and takeover contests in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, U.K., and U.S.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Co - Founder
• Co - Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors / Author of "Putting Auction Theory to Work, " Published by Cambridge University Press in 2004
• Designer of the First US FCC
• Professor

Professor Paul Milgrom is one of the most pre-eminent auction experts in the world and his book "Putting Auction Theory to Work" is a reference in auction theory. He is Professor of Economics at Stanford University with 30 years of experience in designing auctions. "Paul Milgrom has combined fundamental work in economic theory and, in particular, the theory of auctions, with extensive practical participation in the auctions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This book is a brilliant synthesis of his own and others' contributions to the field. The impact of practical problems on the need for theory is thoroughly exemplified. The exposition of the theory has that complete ease only achievable through complete mastery and intense work." Kenneth Arrow, Nobel Laureate, Stanford University. A decade ago, Milgrom's expanded his role from that of an academic game theorist when he became the main architect of the Federal Communications Commission's original US spectrum auction design; it was his "activity rule" that made feasible the implementation of the "simultaneous multiple round" (SMR) auction. Milgrom's role in creating this design is celebrated in accounts by the National Science Foundation ("America's Investment in the Future"), which identifies it as one of the main practical contributions of 20th century research in micro-economic theory, and by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences ("Beyond Discovery"). The SMR design has been copied and adapted worldwide for auctions of hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of radio spectrum, electricity, natural gas, etc. The next of Milgrom's major innovations was the "core-selecting package auction," developed with collaborator Professor Bob Day and incorporated in 2007 into the U.K.'s spectrum auction mechanism. In 2008, the UK further revised their auction rules to include the patent-pending "revealed preference activity rule," co-invented by Milgrom and his collaborator Professor Lawrence Ausubel. Most recently, Milgrom has invented the "Milgrom assignment auction," the proprietary design that makes Auctionomics unique. Like Milgrom's original SMR mechanism, this design can address especially complex situations involving complementarity, but the Milgrom assignment auction runs instantaneously. Compared to the original SMR auction, which require many hours, days, or weeks, the new design reduces transaction costs and increases precision in setting prices. Most exciting, perhaps, is the design's potential for entirely new applications. It can be adapted into a non-price bidding mechanism to place students efficiently and fairly into college courses, or to reallocate airline slots in the event of bad weather at a crowed airport. And Milgrom's theoretical approach is tempered by wide consulting experience on high- profile auction designs. He has advised regulators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Mexico, on the implementation and improvement of the original SMR design, and is currently engaged by the US Treasury to advise on auctions of mortgage-backed securities. At Google, Milgrom advised CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin on the design of their IPO. At Yahoo!, he advised on the design of markets to sell on-line advertising, and at Microsoft Networks on auctions related to the placement of search advertising. Milgrom has also had notable success leading teams of consultants to advise bidders in major auctions, including the team that guided Comcast and its consortium SpectrumCo, in US Auction 66, to the most exceptional performance in US-spectrum-auction history. SpectrumCo saved nearly $1.2 billion on its spectrum license purchases based on the prices paid by other large bidders - such as T-Mobile and Verizon - for comparable spectrum acquired at the same time in the same auction. SpectrumCo's tactics included a $750 million jump-bid - the largest in the history of US spectrum auctions and a move that prompted the FCC to change the auction rules. His unorthodox strategy will be described in more detail in the forthcoming article "Winning Play in a Spectrum Auction." Milgrom is an adviser to BlueKai, a marketplace for Internet ad-targeting data, OpenX, an Internet advertising exchange, Samasource, a nonprofit social enterprise whose mission to connect women, youth and refugees living in poverty to dignified, computer-based work, Calera, a green cement manufacturer, and Rackup.com, which auctions gift cards to consumers.

Taylor is a PhD student in the Computer Science department at the University of British Columbia. He is supervised by Kevin Leyton-Brown and works primarily on algorithmic game theory

Yuanchuan received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University and is an accomplished academic in auction theory. He has consulted many clients on high stakes projects.

Zi Yang received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mathematics from Stanford University. His research interests include auctions and market design.