Ben Zou is an empirical microeconomist whose research focuses on labor and urban economics, particularly in the context of developing countries. His current work examines how labor market frictions influence internal migration and wage distribution, the impact of transportation infrastructure on urban form and regional development, and the design of public infrastructure to deliver efficient and equitable urban services.

He is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at the Mitch Daniels School of Business at Purdue University. He previously held a position at Michigan State University and earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.