2016 Best 40 Under 40 Professors: Haoxiang Zhu, Sloan School of Management

Haoxiang Zhu MIT

Haoxiang Zhu

Assistant Professor of Finance

MIT, Sloan School of Management

Haoxiang Zhu’s extensive look at the structure of financial markets has earned him high praise from the financial community, including four “Best Paper” awards, one “Young Researcher” prize, and a Morgan Stanley prize for Excellence in Financial Markets.

His research focuses on asset pricing and financial market structure. His recent projects investigating welfare effect of high-speed trading and dark liquidity and market fragmentation, have been cited in the press including CNBC, MarketWatch, and The Washington Post.

Zhu is a member of the Finance Theory Group, founded by fellow top 40 professor Gustavo Manso, and has been a Faculty Research Fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research since 2014.

Age: 33

At current institution since: 2012

Education: PhD in Finance, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2012; B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Oxford, 2006

Courses you currently teach: Managerial Finance

Professor you most admire: I have a long list—available upon request!

“I knew I wanted to be a b-school professor when…I got very interested in finance a few months into my first job (at the former Lehman Brothers in London). The business school idea popped up right away.”

“If I weren’t a b-school professor…I could be a computer programmer, or a chef.”

Most memorable moment in the classroom or in general as a professor: It’s exciting to bump into former students at conferences or seminar visits or anywhere.

What professional achievement are you most proud of? My first single-authored paper won the Young Researcher Prize at the Review of Financial Studies.

What do you enjoy most about being a business school professor? I very much enjoy doing research that has impact on finance practice or policy. Bringing the research into the classroom and sharing with students are also a lot of fun.

What do you enjoy least about being a business school professor? Paperwork

Fun fact about yourself: I majored in mathematics and computer science in college, and I managed a term without a computer.

Favorite book: The Selfish Gene

Favorite movie: The Godfather

Favorite type of music: Piano rock, jazz

Favorite television show: Super Brain

Favorite vacation spot: I always enjoy taking road trips to national parks. The getting there is as fun as the destination.

What are your hobbies? Traveling, badminton, chess

Twitter handle: @haoxiangzhu (I rarely tweet, but I plan to do it more.)

“If I had my way, the business school of the future would have…virtual reality and artificial intelligence that simulate business environments in any industry and any part of the world.”

DON’T MISS: THE COMPLETE LIST: POETS&QUANTS’ 2016 MOST OUTSTANDING B-SCHOOL PROFS UNDER 40