Department: Finance
Graduated: PhD 1999
Present Position: Associate Professor of Finance, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago
Current Focus: Expert in the areas of asset pricing, investment management, financial econometrics and Bayesian analysis.

Wharton Teaching
"Where to begin on this one? I learned a great deal from my advisors from how to write a research paper to how to write code. I learned at many different levels, and I certainly learned how to identify interesting topics. One of the strengths of the Finance Department is their teaching of empirical methods. Wharton equipped me with the tools I needed. "

"As a teacher's assistant I ran review sessions and helped to grade papers. I rotated between teaching a variety of courses in the MBA program such as corporate banking, investments and derivatives. I learned how to interact with students. I probably got more out of it than the students did."

"The teachers expect the best, and they did throughout my experience. There were professors who went out of their way to meet students in their free time. As a student you had to be active and knock on the faculty doors. If you do that they will open them. There's a lot of collaboration between faculty and students, and part of the reason for that is that the PhD student offices are located near the faculty offices; you see people on a daily basis. Wharton has people who are very strong academically as well as practically — you'll find top academics who are very active in the real world. This sets Wharton apart."

Wharton Philosophy
"I would emphasize the focus on real world issues in business, not just theory. Of course, theory is studied, but Wharton research goes straight to the point. Professors and students apply these ideas in business by setting up companies, writing books, or consulting. There are many professors doing many different things and the students benefit from that. The more you watch it the clearer the big picture gets. It was invaluable."

The Students
"I formed many valuable personal ties. I started in 1995. I remember spending the first summer with a fellow student studying for the big preliminary exam that we had to go through at the beginning of the second year. We both got a lot out of those study sessions, and more importantly, we both passed. I would describe the environment as one of healthy competition as opposed to cutthroat competition. Moreover, I've stayed in touch with my fellow students. Whenever we are together at conferences, the former finance PhD students always get together. There's a bond there. It's personal as well as professional."

Wharton Research
"Wharton has strong people — both students and professors. I had tremendously competent teachers and I enjoyed interacting with them. Professors Stambaugh and MacKinlay were the advisors on my dissertation, and I co-authored the paper with them as well. There is a great deal of cooperation between students and faculty. There have been numerous instances where these collaborations have taken place and ended up in a leading journal. Right now I am reading the Journal of Political Econony — and in it there is a good example of this. It is a paper produced by just such a collaboration between Wharton PhD students and professors."