Jason Zein

Professor Jason Zein is a distinguished academic in the field of finance at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School, where he serves as Professor of Finance in the School of Banking and Finance. With extensive international experience, he has been a visiting scholar at Oxford University and Vanderbilt University, and has also taught entrepreneurial finance at the University of Melbourne. His academic credentials include a PhD and a Bachelor of Commerce with First Class Honors, both from the University of New South Wales.

Professor Zein's research spans several critical areas in modern finance, with a particular focus on corporate ownership and control structures globally, executive incentives, venture capital, private equity, and the financing mechanisms that drive innovation. His work explores how ownership concentration affects corporate governance, how venture capital shapes startup trajectories, and how innovative firms secure funding while maintaining strategic control.

His extensive publication record in top-tier finance journals demonstrates a consistent research trajectory examining the intersection of corporate governance, business groups, and innovation financing. Professor Zein's work frequently addresses how ownership structures influence corporate decision-making, executive compensation practices, and innovation outcomes, with particular attention to family business groups and their strategic responses to market conditions.

• Best discussant, Financial Integrity Research Network (FIRN) Ph.D. Symposium, 2021
• Winner, best paper in corporate finance/financial economics, Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference, Melbourne, 2021
• UNSW Business School Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Researcher (HDR) Supervision, 2020
• UNSW Business School Award for Research Excellence, 2020
• Winner, best paper in corporate finance/financial economics, Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference, Melbourne, 2018
• Winner, best paper in corporate governance/social responsibility, 2018 Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference, Melbourne
• Winner, best paper in corporate finance at the 2009 Financial Management Association European Meeting

Professor Zein has demonstrated exceptional commitment to research supervision, evidenced by his 2020 UNSW Business School Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Researcher (HDR) Supervision. His research has attracted significant funding, including multiple Australian Research Council (ARC) grants: a Discovery Grant for Regional Financial Stability (AUD $380,000, 2014-2017), a Linkage Grant for Ownership linkage and interfirm capital markets during the Global Financial Crisis (AUD $100,000, 2012-2013), and a Discovery Grant for Venture Capitalist Networks and the Financing of Innovation (AUD $280,000, 2018-2020), in addition to several UNSW Business School Research Grants.

Professor Zein is actively engaged in the academic community, co-organizing the 2025 UNSW Corporate Finance Workshop, which serves as a platform for scholarly exchange on cutting-edge research in corporate finance. He also contributes to the academic ecosystem through his teaching of courses including FINS1612 Capital Markets and Institutions, FINS3623 Venture Capital, FINS5512 Financial Markets and Institutions, and FINS5523 Alternative Asset Classes.