Michael Ransom completed his Ph. D. in Economics at Princeton University in 1983. He began his career at the University of Arizona. He is currently Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he has taught since 1988. He has also taught at Princeton University as a visiting professor. He currently serves on the editorial board of Contemporary Economic Policy. He formerly served on the editorial boards of American Economic Review and Economic Inquiry.

His recent research examines a variety of topics, including male/female differences in labor market outcomes, monopsony in the labor market, retirement savings, and issues related to the academic labor market.

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in November 2003.