PhD in Finance

Distinguish your education

with a doctorate in Finance from the Leeds School of Business.

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PhD in Finance Students and Faculty

The Finance PhD program prepares students to engage in original research on financial markets and decision-making. Students acquire critical technical skills in economic theory, finance theory, data analysis and coding. They also learn to identify promising ideas, write compelling papers and present effectively.

Because the Finance PhD program is small, students benefit from broad access to faculty as co-authors, advisors and mentors. Students also have direct access to leading scholars within professional associations, including six members of the Finance Theory Group, five members (including one founder of the Labor and Finance Group, and a director of the Financial Research Association.

´¡»å»å¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²¹±ôÌýinformation about our Finance facultyÌýcan be found here

General details about the curriculum, requirements, and structure of theÌýprogram can be found here.ÌýPlease be aware this document is not an exhaustive list of the requirements for the Program.

Program Faculty

Led by Program Director Diego García, our award-winning and renowned Finance faculty are published experts on topics like:

  • Corporate finance

  • Household finance

  • Labor and finance

  • Social impact investing

  • Big data

  • Textual analysis

  • Theoretical modeling

Assistant Professor • Dean's Faculty Scholar

Associate Professor • Co-Director of Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making • Frank Schiff Faculty Scholar

Professor

Associate Professor • Global Real Estate Capital Markets Chair

Teaching Professor • Conty Family Teaching Award

Assistant Professor • Stone Family Faculty Scholar

Professor

Associate Professor • Quinby Family Finance Endowed Faculty Fellow • Faculty Director of the Burridge Center for Finance

Assistant Professor • Arnold R. Weber Faculty Scholar

Burridge Endowed Chair in Finance • Professor • DCPC Chair and Finance PhD Program Director

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor • Burridge Center Faculty Fellow

Assistant Professor

Professor • W.W. Reynolds Capital Markets Program Endowed Chair

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Professor • Faculty Director, MS in Real Estate • Faculty Director of Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate

Professor • Chair of the Finance Division • Raymond and Dorothy Joyce Chair in Entrepreneurial

Assistant Professor • Faculty Director of MS Finance

Associate Dean • Business & Government Relations and Senior Economist

Assistant Professor

Baughn Professor of Finance • Professor

Alexander Sasha Lien
PhD: 2024
Placement: Viribus Fund
Dissertation: Cold Snaps and Frothy Markets: The Price Implications of Weather Driven Wealth Shocks

Xiaowen Hu
PhD: 2022
Placement: Southern Methodist University
Dissertation: Three Chapters in Finance: New Advancements in Financial Narratives, Investor Incentives, and Consumer Biases

Khaled Alsabah
PhD: 2020
Placement: Kuwait University
Dissertation: Essays on Financial Regulation and Corporate Finance

Subhiksha Swamy
PhD: 2018
Placement: Market Force Information
Dissertation: Essays on Capital Reallocation

Jordan Martel
PhD: 2018
Placement: Indiana University (visiting professor)
Dissertation: Essays in Real Estate Economics

Gustaf Bellstam
PhD: 2018
Placement: Remitly
Dissertation: Essays on Financial Information in Text

Saad Alnahedh
PhD: 2017
Placement: Kuwait University
Dissertation: Essays on Banking and Finance

Bharadwaj Kannan
PhD: 2016
Placement: Colorado State University
Dissertation: Essays on Labor and Finance

Michael Manser
PhD: 2015
Placement: Promontory Financial Group
Dissertation: Competitive Consequences and Effectiveness of Bank Regulatory Intervention

John Jason Lunn
PhD: 2014
Placement: Penn State University
Dissertation: Competition and Corporate Investment Policy

AbdulRahman Al-Taweel
PhD: 2014
Placement: Kuwait University
Dissertation: Corporate Governance and Employee Pensions

David Brown
PhD: 2014
Placement: University of Arizona
Dissertation: Investing in Security Price Informativeness: The Role of IPO Underpricing

Nhan Le
PhD: 2012
Placement: Post Doc at Mannheim Business School, Germany
Dissertation: Essays in Empirical Corporate Finance

Ying Xiao
PhD: 2011
Placement: Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY
Dissertation: Essays in Pre-IPO R&D and Growth

Yang Ho Park
PhD: 2011
Placement: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Dissertation: Two Essays on Options Market

Jun Lu
PhD: 2011
Placement: Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China
Dissertation: Size, Leverage and Risk-taking of Financial Institutions

Jeffrey Merrell
PhD: 2011
Placement: United States Air Force Academy
Dissertation: Essays on Legal Origin and Corporate Governance: Evidence from Louisiana and Quebec

Surasak Ngammekchai
PhD: 2008
Placement: Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China
Dissertation: How to Human Capital Assets Affect Cumulative Abnormal Returns During Merger and Acquisition?

Wei Wang
PhD: 2008
Placement: University of New Orleans
Dissertation: Two Essays on IPO Information Revelation

Moonsoo Kang
PhD: 2007
Initial Placement: Loyola College
Current Placement: Iona College
Dissertation: Does More Informed Trading Necessarily Lead to Higher Expected Returns

Stefan Platikanov
PhD: 2007
Placement: Suffolk University
Dissertation: Essays on Firm Investments and Financial Constraints

Brian Bolton
PhD: 2006
Initial Placement: University of New Hampshire
Current Placement: Portland State University
Dissertation: Corporate Governance and Firm Performance

Gitit Gur-Gershgoren​
PhD: 2006
Placement: Ben-Gurion University

Guoming (Alan) Huang
PhD: 2005
Placement: University of Waterloo

Michael Loroz
PhD: 2004
Placement: No information provided

Jing YangÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý
PhD: 2003
Placement: California State University – Fullerton


Review of FinanceÌý
David C. Brown (PhD 2014)
Shaun William Davies
Matthew Ringgenberg


Review of Financial Studies (Editor's Choice as Lead Article)
David C. Brown (PhD 2014)
Shaun William Davies


Journal of Finance
Jordan Martel (PhD 2018)
Brian Waters
Kenneth Mirkin


Journal of Financial Economics
Eitan Goldman
Jordan Martel (PhD 2018)
Jan Schneemier


Management ScienceÌý
Gustaf Bellstam (PhD 2018)
Sanjai Bhagat
J. Anthony Cookson


Journal of Money, Credit and BankingÌý
Adam Bordeman (PhD 2015 Accounting)
Bharadwaj Kannan (PhD 2016)
Roberto Pinheiro


Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis
Saad Alnahdeh (PhD 2017)
Sanjai Bhagat,ÌýIulian Obreja – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

​
Journal of Financial Economics
David C. Brown (PhD 2014)
Scott Cederburg
Michael S O'Doherty


Journal of Financial Economics
David C. Brown (PhD 2014)
​Shaun William DaviesÌý


Journal of Banking and Finance
Sanjai Bhagat
Brian Bolton (PhD 2006)
Jun Lu - Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing (PhD 2011)Ìý


Journal of Corporate Finance
Sanjai Bhagat
Brian Bolton (PhD 2006)Ìý


Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis​
Sanjai Bhagat
Brian Bolton (PhD 2006)Ìý


Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis
Sanjai Bhagat
Brian Bolton (PhD 2006)
Ajay SubramanianÌý