Rob Schonlau

Rob Schonlau serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Real Estate at Colorado State University's College of Business, holding the Dean's Distinguished Research Fellow title. Previously, he held associate and assistant professor positions at Miami University and Brigham Young University respectively.

His educational credentials include a PhD and MSBA from the University of Washington. Research interests span mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, executive compensation, and capital structure, with particular focus on CEO/director decision-making mechanisms including antitakeover provisions and labor markets.

Recent publications (2021-2025) reveal intensified exploration of methodological econometrics in corporate finance, shareholder perks valuation, and nuanced analysis of antitakeover provisions' real-world effectiveness. His work consistently bridges theoretical governance frameworks with empirical market outcomes.

Award recognition includes:

• Sharpe Award (2017) for capital structure research

Dr. Schonlau actively mentors students through research collaborations while teaching corporate finance and investment courses. His academic service includes conference presentations at premier venues like AFA, WFA, and FMA. Current research examines director labor markets and capital structure dynamics through both theoretical modeling and empirical analysis.

He maintains active research operations from his office in Rockwall Hall (309), supported by Colorado State University's College of Business infrastructure.