Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Louis Hyman attended Columbia University, where he received a BA in History and Mathematics.
A former Fulbright scholar, Hyman received his PhD in American history in 2007 from Harvard University. His dissertation received the Harold K. Gross Prize for best dissertation in history at Harvard and the Krooss prize for best dissertation in business history nationally.
Debtor Nation was revised and based on that dissertation during a fellowship at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company.
His research interests focus on the history of capitalism in the United States. His current research is on the rise of temporary labor in the postwar United States and its effects on the organization of American business.