Jonathan M. Karpoff

Jonathan M. Karpoff is a Professor of Finance and Business Economics holding the Washington Mutual Endowed Chair in Innovation at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. With a career spanning over 40 years at the University of Washington since 1983, he has established himself as a leading scholar in corporate governance, corporate finance, and financial misconduct research. His academic journey includes visiting professorships at the University of Chicago (1998) and Emory University (2000-2002).

Dr. Karpoff's educational background includes a PhD and MA from the University of California, Los Angeles (1982 and 1980, respectively) and a BA from the University of Alaska (1978). His research expertise focuses on business valuation, corporate governance, corporate finance, and corporate crime and punishment, with significant contributions to understanding financial reporting fraud and takeover defenses.

His research output shows a clear trajectory from early work on natural experiments in corporate governance to more recent comprehensive reviews of financial misconduct and detailed analyses of takeover defense mechanisms. The publications reveal a consistent focus on empirical analysis of corporate governance structures, with particular attention to how these structures affect firm value, executive behavior, and market responses. His work spans multiple top-tier journals including the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Management Science, and Journal of Financial Economics.

• Inducted as a Financial Management Association Fellow (2016)
• William F. Sharpe Award for Scholarship in Financial Research (2009)
• Multiple Outstanding Teaching Awards at UW Foster School (2016-2024)
• Outstanding Mentor Award from UW PhD students (2016, 2021)
• Griliches Prize in Empirical Economics

As an academic leader, Dr. Karpoff serves as Council Chair of the Society for Financial Studies Council (2024-present) and has held numerous editorial positions including Associate Editor of the Journal of Finance (2008-present) and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis (2004-present). His commitment to mentoring is evident through multiple Outstanding Mentor Awards from PhD students and his coordination of the American Finance Association Committee on Racial Diversity mentoring program (2021-2024).

Beyond his academic pursuits, Dr. Karpoff maintains an active outdoor lifestyle with documented interests in hiking, climbing, and skiing in Washington's Cascade Mountains, having written several outdoor adventure stories including 'La Bohn Gap' and 'Ridgetop'.