Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom ("née" Awan; August 7, 1933 – June 12, 2012) was an American scientist. She was born in Los Angeles, California. She taught at both Indiana University and Arizona State University. She won the Nobel Prize 2009 in Economic Sciences which she had to share with Oliver Williamson. Ostrom became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in this category. She was influenced by James M. Buchanan.