Abhijit Banerjee is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT and Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). A 2019 Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, his research focuses on development economics, political economy, and poverty alleviation. He co-authored influential books like Poor Economics and Good Economics for Hard Times , emphasizing evidence-based policies and randomized controlled trials. Banerjee’s work addresses global challenges such as education, health, and social welfare, with notable contributions to microfinance, public health interventions, and anti-poverty programs. He holds leadership roles in global initiatives like the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel and has advised governments worldwide. His research spans topics from police resource allocation in India to the impact of information during crises like demonetization and the pandemic. Education: Bachelor’s in Statistics, Presidency College, Kolkata M.A. in Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD in Economics, Harvard University Key Contributions: Co-founder of J-PAL, promoting evidence-based poverty reduction strategies. Pioneer in using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for policy evaluation. Research on microfinance, education reforms, and health interventions in developing countries. Awards: Nobel Prize in Economics (2019), Infosys Prize in Social Sciences (2009), Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). Grants/Advisory Roles: Collaborations with institutions like the World Bank, UN, and governments on poverty, health, and education policies. Labs/Teams: J-PAL global network, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
Clemens Otto is a Full-time Associate Professor of Finance at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. He holds a Ph.D. (Finance) from London Business School (2012), an M.Res. (Finance) from London Business School (2009), and a CEMS Master (International Management) and Dipl.-Kfm. (Business Administration) from the University of Cologne and HEC Paris (2006). His research focuses on Financial Contracting, Corporate Disclosure Practices, Behavioral Finance, and Strategic Investment Decisions. Key research interests include analyzing how disclosure policies impact capital markets, the behavioral drivers of corporate investment, and the effects of regulatory frameworks on firm behavior. His work integrates theoretical finance with empirical evidence from supply chains, healthcare disclosures, and debt markets. Notable awards include the Michael J. Brennan Award (2022) and the SAC Capital Ph.D. Award (2012). His publications span journals such as the Review of Financial Studies , Management Science , and The Accounting Review . Current research explores disclosure externalities in supply chains and the strategic implications of peer disclosures in clinical trials. Prof. Otto has been affiliated with SMU since 2017, advancing through roles from Assistant Professor (2017–2021) to his current position. His expertise aligns with SMU’s strategic priorities in Asia-focused finance and sustainable living through informed corporate governance frameworks.
Zhi Da is the Howard J. and Geraldine F. Korth Chair in Finance and Professor of Finance at the University of Notre Dame , Mendoza College of Business, Department of Finance. He completed his Ph.D. in Finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (2006), preceded by an M.Sc. in Financial Engineering from the National University of Singapore (2001) and a B.B.A. with First-Class Honors (1999) from the same institution. Holding editorial roles at Journal of Finance , Management Science , Review of Financial Studies and several other top journals, he is a leading voice in empirical finance research. Education Ph.D. in Finance, 2006 – Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University M.Sc. in Financial Engineering, 2001 – National University of Singapore B.B.A. (1st Class Honors), 1999 – National University of Singapore Research Interests Zhi Da’s scholarship sits at the intersection of asset pricing , behavioral finance , and market microstructure . He investigates how investor attention, institutional trading, liquidity frictions, and information flows jointly determine the cross-section of expected returns. His work delves into retail margin trading, the role of pension-fund flows in exchange-rate dynamics, the informational content of SEC filings, and the efficiency of short-selling mechanisms. By combining large-scale data analytics, textual analysis, and structural modeling, he uncovers novel predictors of returns ranging from presidential approval ratings to real-time attention measures. Recent projects explore fractional trading ’s impact on price efficiency, hedging demand as a driver of intraday momentum, and the hidden effort problem in delegated portfolio management. These themes collectively advance our understanding of limits to arbitrage and the formation of extrapolative beliefs. Publication Landscape Spanning 2025 back to 2009, his 15 most recent articles in Journal of Finance , Review of Financial Studies , Management Science , Journal of Financial Economics , and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis converge on three broad motifs: (1) micro-level trading frictions—liquidity costs, margin requirements, and short-selling constraints; (2) macro-finance linkages—exchange rates, fiscal policy, and global capital flows; and (3) information economics—attention allocation, media analytics, and regulatory disclosures. The collective evidence demonstrates that seemingly small trading or informational frictions aggregate into large, persistent cross-sectional return predictability. Honors and Awards 2017 William F. Sharpe Award for Best Paper, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis Lead-article distinctions in Journal of Finance , Review of Financial Studies , and Management Science Featured coverage in SmartMoney and CNBC Teaching & Mentorship At Notre Dame’s Mendoza College, Professor Da teaches Investments (undergraduate and MBA) and Fixed Income Securities , integrating cutting-edge research insights into the curriculum. While specific advisees are not listed, his extensive co-author network (22+ recurring collaborators) attests to a vibrant mentoring environment. Laboratory & Data Resources He publicly distributes the NAT (Net Arbitrage Trading) dataset, a stock-quarter panel of arbitrage positions used in Chen, Da & Huang (2019). This resource has become a standard tool for researchers studying arbitrage capital movements.
Ana Marques is a Visiting Professor at Norwich Business School (University of East Anglia), specializing in accounting and quantitative methods. She previously served as head of research at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon and held visiting roles at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Her academic background includes a PhD in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master's in Management from Instituto Superior de Gestão (Portugal), and a 5-year Licenciatura in Management from the same institution. Her research focuses on non-GAAP earnings disclosures, corporate governance, ESG/CSR, and voluntary disclosures. Key funding includes a €80,000 Marie Curie grant and over €120,000 from Portugal's Foundation for Science and Technology. She has published in top journals like Review of Accounting Studies and European Accounting Review . Marques holds editorial roles at European Accounting Review and Accounting in Europe , and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the EAA's Accounting Research Center. She has organized major conferences like JIAR 2023 and the Lisbon Accounting Conference, and contributes to professional bodies such as the American Accounting Association (AAA) and European Accounting Association (EAA). Her work addresses disclosure strategies, sustainability assurance, and regulatory impacts, with recent focus on gender diversity policies and ESG-investment linkages. Research outputs emphasize global accounting practices and regulatory effectiveness across diverse sectors.
Nemit Shroff is the School of Management Distinguished Professor and Professor of Accounting at MIT Sloan School of Management. His work focuses on the impact of accounting disclosures and regulatory frameworks on corporate policies. He holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, MBA from Amrita School of Business, and undergraduate degree from University of Mumbai. Shroff's research examines how audited financial statements, management forecasts, and regulatory policies influence corporate financing and investment strategies. His studies highlight economic consequences of disclosure regulations globally. Key areas include audit market competition, PCAOB oversight, and regulatory spillover effects. His work has been featured in top journals like The Accounting Review and Journal of Accounting and Economics. Recipient of 2011 FARS Best Dissertation Award 2014 Competitive Manuscript Award winner 2016 FARS Best Paper Award honoree Co-recipient of American Tax Association award (2025) His recent media contributions include analyses on PCAOB reforms in ProMarket and Wall Street Journal commentaries on audit board independence. Shroff is affiliated with MIT's Consumer Finance Initiative, exploring intersections between financial systems and consumer protection.
Alexander I. Platt is the Earl B. Shurtz Research Professor of Law and Director of the Polsinelli Transactional Law Center at the University of Kansas School of Law. He specializes in securities regulation, corporate law, and administrative law, with a focus on regulatory frameworks, corporate governance, and legal ethics. Platt teaches Contracts, Securities Regulation, Business Organizations, and Due Diligence in Business Transactions. Platt earned his B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science (magna cum laude) from Columbia University in 2006 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2012, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Yale Law Journal. He clerked for Judges Stephen F. Williams (D.C. Circuit) and Royce C. Lamberth (D.D.C.) and practiced law at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP before joining KU. He is admitted to multiple U.S. courts, including the District of Columbia and New York. His research explores the intersection of regulatory enforcement, corporate transparency, and legal accountability. Notable works include critiques of SEC whistleblower programs and analyses of IPO regulatory frameworks. His 2024 article on mandatory disclosure was recognized as one of the Top 10 Corporate & Securities Law Articles of the year. Platt advocates for balanced legal guardrails to address modern market challenges like unicorn valuations and short seller dynamics. Research Highlights : SEC enforcement mechanisms and transparency Whistleblower incentives and corporate accountability IPO regulatory bureaucracy Corporate governance structures Awards : Top 10 Corporate & Securities Law Articles of 2024 Platt’s work has been cited by SEC Commissioners and featured in major media outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, underscoring the practical impact of his scholarship on legal and regulatory policy.
Ben Fisch is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Yale University's School of Engineering & Applied Science. He is also the co-founder of Espresso Systems, a company focused on blockchain infrastructure. His research focuses on privacy and verifiability in decentralized systems like Bitcoin and Ethereum, with applications in digital finance and healthcare. Dr. Fisch received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University, where he worked with Dan Boneh in the applied cryptography research group. His educational background provided the foundation for his work at the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and economics. His research centers on leveraging cryptographic tools such as succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs), private information retrieval, and homomorphic encryption to address challenges in verifiable computation, verifiable storage, and verifiable fairness. He has made significant contributions to verifiable delay functions (VDFs) and proofs of replication, which have been adopted by major blockchain projects including Ethereum 2.0, Chia, and Filecoin. His work on Filecoin's Proofs of Replication has helped the network reach over 1.5 exabytes of storage capacity. His publication record shows a clear trend toward increasingly sophisticated cryptographic protocols for blockchain applications, with recent work focusing on data availability for Bitcoin rollups, efficient folding schemes for pairing-based arguments, and privacy pools with proof-carrying disclosures. His research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations that have real-world impact in decentralized systems. His notable recognition includes: Best Paper Finalist at ACM CCS 2017 for 'Iron: Functional Encryption using Intel SGX' Dr. Fisch's research has led to significant technology transfer, most notably with his work on Verifiable Delay Functions (VDFs) sparking a multimillion dollar industry initiative through the VDF Alliance. His research on Proofs of Replication forms the basis of Filecoin's incentive layer and consensus protocol. His newer SNARK system Basefold is being used by several commercial products. He maintains active collaborations across academia and industry, with publications spanning top conferences in cryptography and security. As co-founder of Espresso Systems, Dr. Fisch leads a team developing next-generation blockchain infrastructure, particularly focusing on sequencing layers for rollups. His work bridges academic research with practical implementation, ensuring that theoretical advances in cryptography find real-world applications in decentralized systems.
Professor Rainer Böhme is a prominent academic in the field of IT security and privacy at the University of Münster's School of Business and Economics, Department of Information Systems. He also holds a professorship for Security and Privacy at the University of Innsbruck's Institute of Computer Science. His research spans multiple dimensions of digital security, with particular expertise in steganography, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and the economic aspects of cybersecurity. Dr. Böhme earned his Doctoral Degree from TU Dresden's Faculty of Computer Science in 2008, following studies in Communications, Economics and Computer Science at Technische Universität Dresden and Université Paris XII. His academic journey includes positions as Assistant Professor at the University of Münster (2010-2015), Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley (2009-2010), and Scientific Staff at TU Dresden's Chair of Privacy and Data Security. His research interests focus on steganography and steganalysis, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, security and usability, economic and behavioral aspects of information privacy, virtual currencies, and the economics of information security. His work bridges technical security mechanisms with economic and behavioral considerations, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach to cybersecurity challenges. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward the economics of security, particularly regarding blockchain technologies, cryptocurrency, and privacy valuation. His work increasingly examines the intersection of technical security mechanisms with market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and user behavior. The research spans theoretical game-theoretic models, empirical studies of user behavior, and practical applications in digital forensics and privacy protection. Program Co-Chair, Financial Cryptography and Data Security (2015) Program Co-Chair, New Security Paradigms Workshop (NSPW) (2015) General Chair, 8th International Conference on IT Security Incident Management & IT Forensics (2014) Organizer and Program Co-Chair, 1st Workshop on Bitcoin Research (2014) Associate Editor, Electronic Commerce Research (since 2013) Associate Editor, EURASIP Journal on Information Security (since 2013) Professor Böhme has supervised multiple Master's theses in Information Systems, including work on static code analysis for smart contracts, remote maintenance protocol security, and application protection requirements in retail banking. His research is supported by significant grants from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the DFG, and the EU FP7 program, with projects focusing on digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and cryptocurrency crime prevention. He leads the IT Security Research Group at the University of Münster, which investigates theoretical and applied aspects of information security with particular emphasis on the economic dimensions of security decisions.
Robert P. Bartlett is the W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business at Stanford Law School and a courtesy Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He serves as Co-Director of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance. Previously, he held roles at UC Berkeley School of Law and the University of Georgia School of Law, and practiced corporate law at Gunderson Dettmer. He earned his JD (2000) and BA (1996) from Harvard University. His research focuses on law and finance, particularly venture capital, market structure, corporate governance, and capital market regulation. Key areas include fractional shares' impact, odd-lot trading dynamics, and ESG integration in executive compensation. Recent articles address hidden liquidity, venture capital contract standardization, and fintech-driven consumer lending discrimination. Bartlett’s work bridges legal and financial disciplines, influencing policy debates on market transparency, regulatory frameworks, and corporate accountability. He has contributed to prominent journals like the Journal of Financial Economics and Review of Financial Studies , and authored book chapters on venture capital valuation. His affiliations include the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and leadership roles in academic centers fostering corporate governance research.
Gary William Hecht is a Professor in the Department of Accountancy at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves as Associate Dean of Professional Education Pathways and holds the Arthur Andersen Faculty Fellowship. His research focuses on performance measurement systems, management accounting, and organizational behavior. Associate Dean, Gies College of Business Arthur Andersen Faculty Fellow Professor, Department of Accountancy Hecht’s research explores the intersection of performance measurement , managerial decision-making , and organizational incentives . Key themes include strategic use of performance data, impact of reporting frequency on employee behavior, and experiential vs. vicarious learning mechanisms in accounting contexts. His recent work (2020-2025) emphasizes effort intensity metrics , transparency in promotion behavior , and noise in performance measures . Articles reveal a focus on optimizing management control systems and understanding behavioral responses to accounting frameworks. Scientific awards : Arthur Andersen Faculty Fellow
Professor Duc Duy (Louis) Nguyen is Professor in Finance at Durham University Business School. Previously, he was Associate Professor at King's College London and Assistant Professor at University of St Andrews. His research has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and BBC. He holds a BSc in Computing from National University of Singapore, MSc in Accounting, Finance, and Management from University of Bristol, and PhD in Finance from University of Edinburgh. Research foci include: Climate risk integration in mortgage markets and corporate finance Impact of social policies (e.g., marriage equality) on credit access Corporate governance and misconduct prevention in banking Local information environments and fraud detection Cross-cultural dimensions of executive decision-making His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent examination of how institutional frameworks (regulation, culture, governance) shape financial behaviors and market outcomes, with recent emphasis on climate finance and social equity impacts. Awards include: David Hume Publication Prize (2015) Semi-finalist, FMA Europe Best Paper Award (2018) Finalist, FMA Asia/Pacific Best Paper Award (2019) Best Registered Report on "Politics and Corporate Power" Vietnam Symposium in Climate Transition Best Paper Award (2024) He currently supervises PhD candidates Bingzhi Zhang and Jing Wei. His externally funded research includes grants from British Academy/Leverhulme Trust and Carnegie UK Trust. He serves as Associate Editor for European Journal of Finance and British Accounting Review. As frequent speaker at central banks and policy forums (Federal Reserve Banks of New York & St. Louis), he translates research insights into regulatory practice and policy development.
Lorrie Faith Cranor is the Director and Bosch Distinguished Professor in Security and Privacy Technologies at the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute, and the FORE Systems University Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She also directs the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CUPS) and co-directs the MSIT-Privacy Engineering master’s program. She previously served as Chief Technologist at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and is a co-founder of Wombat Security Technologies. Carnegie Mellon University – CyLab Security and Privacy Institute School of Computer Science – Department of Computer Science College of Engineering – Department of Engineering and Public Policy PhD Program in Societal Computing Human-Computer Interaction Institute (affiliate) Heinz College (affiliate) Dr. Cranor’s research centers on usable privacy and security, privacy engineering, and technology policy. Her work spans authentication systems, privacy policies, IoT security, and human behavior in digital environments. She has pioneered research on password usability, privacy labels (e.g., 'nutrition labels' for privacy), and privacy decision-making. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates computer science, public policy, and behavioral science to create systems that are both secure and user-friendly. Her recent publications reflect a strong focus on privacy interfaces, consent mechanisms, IoT security labels, and user comprehension of digital privacy. Trends include evaluating the usability of privacy controls across platforms, designing tools for developers to generate accurate privacy disclosures, and understanding user behavior in online tracking and advertising contexts. Her work frequently appears in top venues such as CHI, SOUPS, and PETS. ACM CHI Academy inductee ACM Fellow IEEE Fellow 2018 ACM CHI Social Impact Award 2018 International Association of Privacy Professionals Privacy Leadership Award 2018 IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Practice Alumni Achievement Award, McKelvey School of Engineering Top 100 Innovator under 35, Technology Review Dr. Cranor has advised numerous PhD students in interdisciplinary programs including Societal Computing, Engineering and Public Policy, and Human-Computer Interaction. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and industry partners. She serves on the boards of the Computing Research Association, Center for Democracy and Technology, and Electronic Privacy Information Center. She is a frequent media commentator on privacy and security issues. She leads the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CUPS), a multidisciplinary research group that includes faculty and students from computer science, policy, and HCI. The lab focuses on making privacy and security systems more intuitive, effective, and user-controlled. Key projects include the Usable Privacy Policy Project, privacy nutrition labels, and the Personalized Privacy Assistant Project.
Professor Tomo Suzuki (Waseda University, Faculty of Commerce) holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University and has held academic positions at Oxford, London School of Economics, and Meiji University. His research spans Institutional Mechanism Design , Sustainability Management , and Mature Socio-Economy across Japan, India, and China. Former Oxford Professor with top academic awards (2008-2012) Advisor to Japanese Cabinet (2020-2023) and LDP Policy Committee Developed "One Additional Line" $2B/year system in India Lead author on 9 Scopus publications with 212 citations Research Focus : • Applied Institutional Design for mature economies • Distribution Statement (DS) for fair value allocation • Critique of shareholder-first capitalism Scientific Awards : Cosmo Awards for Research Excellence (1996, 2015) UK Research Assessment Exercise Top Score (2008) Oxford Executive MBA Outstanding Professor
Elena Pikulina is an Assistant Professor in the Finance Division at the UBC Sauder School of Business, affiliated with The University of British Columbia. She holds an M.Phil and PhD from Tilburg University. Her research focuses on institutional investors, corporate finance, and behavioral finance, with a particular emphasis on integrating experimental methodologies to study decision-making processes in corporate and financial contexts. She teaches courses such as Mergers and Acquisitions. Education: M.Phil, Tilburg University PhD, Tilburg University Research Interests: Institutional investors Corporate finance Experimental and behavioral finance Her publications explore topics such as income inequality’s impact on equity markets, power preferences in decision-making, the behavioral effects of confidence and overconfidence on corporate strategies, and incentive structures like bonus schemes. While no scientific awards are explicitly listed, her work demonstrates contributions to behavioral and corporate finance. Advising & Grants: No students or grants are listed in the provided materials. Labs/Teams: No specific labs or research teams are mentioned.
Li Azinovic-Yang serves as an Assistant Professor of Accounting and IBM Faculty Fellow at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her research examines corporate disclosure dynamics through analytical modeling and data analysis, focusing on intersections with firm innovation, competition structures, and labor practices. Education: PhD in Accounting, Columbia Business School Master in Banking and Finance, University of Zurich Bachelor in Finance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Her research spans corporate disclosure antecedents and consequences, particularly investigating how information transparency affects firm innovation strategies, competitive market structures, and labor policy implementation. Current work analyzes disclosure regulation's welfare impacts and strategic communication in corporate experimentation contexts through rigorous analytical frameworks. Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on accounting standard evolution and diversity initiatives, revealing how regulatory stability shifts impact financial reporting and how diversity targets transform organizational behavior. Her work bridges theoretical accounting models with real-world corporate practices. Scientific Recognition: IBM Faculty Fellow As an active researcher, Azinovic-Yang maintains significant industry engagement through media coverage in outlets like Forbes and CBS Newsroom. Her work on innovation disclosure regulation generated podcast interviews on The Finance Bro, while diversity research received mainstream news attention. She contributes to academic discourse through Booth School publications and maintains an active research pipeline examining capital rationing incentives and strategic communication.
