Rafael Robb
Encyclopedia
Rafael Robb is an economist
and former professor at the University of Pennsylvania
.
Robb pleaded guilty in November 2007 to voluntary manslaughter
in the high-profile death of his wife, Ellen Gregory Robb. Gregory Robb was bludgeoned to death with a chin-up bar. Her death occurred during a December 22, 2006 argument over the couple's Christmas
vacation plans in their home in Wayne, Pennsylvania
. Robb was sentenced on November 19, 2008 to a 5- to 10-year prison term. Robb pleaded guilty on November 26, 2007, and resigned from the university, where he had been on leave since his arrest in January 2007.
Robb received his bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
in Israel
. He is known in academic circles for his contributions to evolutionary game theory
and industrial organization
. He immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and attained a Ph.D.
in economics at UCLA in 1981. Robb married in 1990 and joined the University of Pennsylvania staff in 1984 and had been a tenure
d professor since 2004.
Robb's court case gained national attention in famous tabloids such as the National Enquirer.
Robb specialized in game theory
, a mathematical discipline used to analyze political, economic, and military strategies. He had published numerous papers, with scholars from Greece
, Israel
, Japan
, and the US, on game theory and other economic topics. He is also a fellow of the Econometric Society
, one of the highest honors in economics.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and former professor at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
Robb pleaded guilty in November 2007 to voluntary manslaughter
Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted during "the heat of passion," under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed. In the Uniform Crime Reports prepared by the...
in the high-profile death of his wife, Ellen Gregory Robb. Gregory Robb was bludgeoned to death with a chin-up bar. Her death occurred during a December 22, 2006 argument over the couple's Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
vacation plans in their home in Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne is an unincorporated community located on the Main Line, centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. While the center of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County...
. Robb was sentenced on November 19, 2008 to a 5- to 10-year prison term. Robb pleaded guilty on November 26, 2007, and resigned from the university, where he had been on leave since his arrest in January 2007.
Robb received his bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He is known in academic circles for his contributions to evolutionary game theory
Evolutionary game theory
Evolutionary game theory is the application of Game Theory to evolving populations of lifeforms in biology. EGT is useful in this context by defining a framework of contests, strategies and analytics into which Darwinian competition can be modelled. It originated in 1973 with John Maynard Smith...
and industrial organization
Industrial organization
Industrial organization is the field of economics that builds on the theory of the firm in examining the structure of, and boundaries between, firms and markets....
. He immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and attained a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in economics at UCLA in 1981. Robb married in 1990 and joined the University of Pennsylvania staff in 1984 and had been a tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
d professor since 2004.
Robb's court case gained national attention in famous tabloids such as the National Enquirer.
Robb specialized in game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
, a mathematical discipline used to analyze political, economic, and military strategies. He had published numerous papers, with scholars from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the US, on game theory and other economic topics. He is also a fellow of the Econometric Society
Econometric Society
The Econometric Society is an international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation with statistics and mathematics. It was founded on December 29, 1930 at the Stalton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio....
, one of the highest honors in economics.
External links
- FindLaw: Detectives Detail Why They Believe a University of Pennsylvania Professor May Have Killed His Wife, and Lied To Them About It — Probable Cause Affidavit: Commonwealth of Pa. v. Rafael Robb (January 2007) (first of four pages; other pages linked)
- Discovery Communications: Investigation Discovery: Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets: Episode Guide ("Checkmate", second episode on page)