Robert Whaples is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Co-Editor and Managing Editor for The Independent Review, Director and Book Review Editor for EH.NET, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center on Culture and Civil Society at the Independent Institute. 

He is the co-editor of three recent books, "The Handbook of Modern Economic History" (2012), "The Handbook of Major Events in Economic History" (2013), and "The Economic Crisis in Retrospect: Explanations by Great Economists." His research has been published in the Journal of Economic History, Southern Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry, Contemporary Economic Policy, and other journals.

He regularly teaches Introduction to Economics, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics and the Economics of Entrepreneurship. He is coach of the Wake Forest Quiz Bowl Team. He and his wife, Regina, are the proud parents of five – three of whom are Wake Forest graduates.