John R. Graham

John R. Graham is the D. Richard Mead Jr. Family Professor of Finance at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He holds affiliations with the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the UNC Tax Center. Graham's research focuses on corporate finance, taxation, investments, and governance. He has authored over 80 articles and serves as editor or associate editor for major finance journals. His work includes seminal studies on corporate tax rates, capital structure, and CFO decision-making. Graham has received numerous awards, including the Jensen Prize and Brattle Prize. He teaches corporate finance and advises the Duke CFO Survey, a long-running economic indicator. His research on simulated corporate tax rates is widely cited in valuation analyses.

Education: Ph.D. in Finance (Duke University, 1994), M.A. in Economics (Virginia Commonwealth University, 1988), B.A. in Math/Economics (College of William and Mary, 1983).

Research Interests: Graham's work addresses taxes, capital structure, governance, and payout policy. Key contributions include tax rate simulations, herding behavior in markets, and the real effects of financial constraints. His recent studies explore corporate culture, managerial miscalibration, and the impact of tax policies on business decisions.

Awards: Over 30 major accolades including AFA Fellow, AAA Outstanding Manuscript Award, and multiple Jensen Prize wins. His work has also been recognized by the Financial Management Association and Western Finance Association.

Professional Roles: Editor of the Journal of Finance, president of the American Finance Association, and academic director of Duke's CFO Executive Education program. Graham chairs the FMA Diversity Scholar mentoring program and serves on multiple editorial and advisory boards.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Duke CFO Survey (since 1997), a collaboration with Federal Reserve Banks. Active in research teams studying corporate risk management, tax policy, and executive compensation.