Research Professionals
Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance offers a unique pre-doctoral opportunity for research professionals with undergraduate degrees or masters degrees in economics and finance or in fields with related skills such as statistics, mathematics or computer science.
Our two-year research professional program is designed to be an ideal transitional position for recent graduates who are interested in going onto a top PhD program in finance or economics. Our research professionals gain valuable experience working with some of the world’s top researchers in these fields.
Fama-Miller Center research professionals have the opportunity to work closely with top finance faculty, take one course per quarter for credit, attend the finance workshop and seminar and participate in the Fama-Miller Center seminar for research professionals.
The research professional will work closely with Booth finance faculty members and learn to provide research assistance for substantial research projects as well as receive mentoring. The position will provide excellent preparation for entry into a Ph.D. program or for conducting other analytical based research independently. The Center's RPs have been admitted to PhD programs at schools such as the University of Chicago, Columbia, UCLA, Berkeley, LBS, MIT, Northwestern, NYU, Stanford, Wharton and Yale.
Applicants must have a bachelors degree in economics, finance or related skills such as statistics, mathematics or computer science.
Chicago Booth gives equal consideration to applicants requiring visa sponsorship; all interested applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of their visa status.
Current Research Professionals
Livia Amato
Research Professional
Livia Amato is currently assisting Professors Anil Kashyap, Lubos Pastor, Quentin Vandeweyer and Constantine Yannelis.
Livia has a BSc in Economics and Business from LUISS University and a MSc in International Finance from HEC Paris. Her current research interests include asset pricing and financial intermediation.
Rahul Chauhan
Research Professional
Rahul Singh Chauhan is currently assisting Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Niels Gormsen, Elisabeth Kempf, Raghuram Rajan and Michael Weber.
Rahul has a BSc. in Economics from Presidency University, Kolkata and a MSc. in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His current research interests include banking, corporate finance and macroeconomics.
Hanson Ho
Research Professional
Hanson Ho is currently assisting Professor Lars Hansen, Jessica Jeffers, Raghuram Rajan and Constantine Yannelis.
Hanson earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Hong Kong and a MA in Economics from the University of Chicago. His current research interests include macroeconomics, macro finance, asset pricing and labor.
Jiaofen (Vanessa) Hu
Research Professional
Vanessa is currently assisting Professors Niels Gormsen, Ralph Koijen and Anthony Lee Zhang.
Vanessa has a bachelor’s degree in quantitative finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Her current research interests include macro-finance, household finance, and housing markets.
Simone Ricci
Research Professional
Simone is currently assisting Professors Francesca Bastianello, Emanuele Colonnelli, George Constantinides and Wenxin Du.
Simone has a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in Economics from the University of Bergamo and a Master of Science in Economics and management from the University of Bocconi. He previously worked as a Trainee at the European Central Bank and his research interest’s span over Macroeconomics, International Finance, Monetary Policy as well as Labor Economics.
Yash Srivastav
Research Professional
Yash Srivastav is currently assisting Professors Steve Kaplan, Michael Weber, and Eric Zwick.
Yash graduated with a BA in Economics and a minor in Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego. His research interests include macroeconomics, public finance, and applied econometrics.
Xixian (Steven) Wu
Research Professional
Steven is currently assisting Professors George Constantinides, Amir Sufi and Constantine Yannelis.
Steven has a Bachelor’s degree (Honors) in Finance and Mathematics from University of Sydney, and a Master of Finance degree from MIT Sloan School of Management. His current research interests include asset pricing, corporate finance, macro finance and economics.
Yingxuan Yang
Research Professional
Yingxuan is currently assisting Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Yueran Ma and Ralph Koijen on various projects.
Yingxuan earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Nankai University and a MSc in Finance and Economics from LSE. Her research interests include corporate finance and political economy.
Zi Ye
Research Professional
Zi Ye is currently assisting Professors Zhiguo He and Yueran Ma.
Zi earned a B.B.A. in finance with a minor in statistics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and an M.A. in public policy with certificate in research methods from the University of Chicago. Her current research interests include corporate finance, behavioral finance, household finance and political economy.
Zichen Zhao
Research Professional
Zichen Zhao is currently assisting Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Stefan Nagel, Scott Nelson and Anthony Lee Zhang on various projects.
Zichen earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Nankai University, and a master’s degree in Social Sciences with a concentration in Economics from the University of Chicago. His current research interests include household finance, information and market efficiency, microeconomic theory and political economy.
Former Research Professionals
Laurenz De Rosa
Laurenz De Rosa assisted Professors Elisabeth Kempf, Ralph Koijen and Amir Sufi.
Laurenz has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the University of Mannheim. After working for the Fama-Miler Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in the joint program in Financial Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Cheuk Hei (Micheal) Yip
Michael (Cheuk Hei) Yip assisted Professors George Constantinides, Stefan Nagel, Scott Nelson, Anthony Zhang and Eric Zwick.
Michael has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a MSc in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. After working for the Fama-Miler Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Yann Decressin
Yann Decressin assisted Professors Jessica Jeffers, Steve Kaplan, Michael Weber and Eric Zwick.
Yann has a BA in Economics (with honors) and Statistics from UC Berkeley. After working for the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Economics at the University of Chicago.
Daniel (Zongsheng) Huang
Daniel (Zongsheng) Huang assisted Professors Wenxin Du, Zhiguo He, Elisabeth Kempf, Yueran Ma and Eric Zwick.
Daniel has a BA in Economics, a BEng in Electronic Engineering from Tsinghua University and a MS in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago. After working for the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at Yale School of Management.
Pranav Garg
Pranav Garg assisted Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Scott Nelson, Amir Sufi, Anthony Lee Zhang and Eric Zwick.
Pranav has a bachelor's in Economics with honors from the University of Delhi, and a master’s degree in Economics from the Paris School of Economics. After working for the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at Yale School of Management.
Sanhitha Jugulum
Sanhitha Jugulum assisted Professors Elisabeth Kempf, Raghuram Rajan, Emanuele Colonnelli, Pascal Noel and Erick Zwick.
Sanhitha has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. After working for the Fama-Miller Center for two years, she went on to pursue a PhD in Economics at Columbia University.
Julien Weber
Julien Weber assisted Professors Lars Hansen, Anil Kashyap, Yueran Ma, Michael Weber and Anthony Zhang on a variety of projects.
Julien has a BA from the University of St.Gallen and a MSc from the Stockholm School of Economics, both in Economics. After working for the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Economics at New York University.
Bianca He
Bianca He assisted Professors Elisabeth Kempf, Yueran Ma, Lubos Pastor, Scott Nelson, Amir Sufi, Michael Weber and Eric Zwick. Bianca has a BA in economics and a BA in statistical sciences with honor from Cornell University. After working with the Fama-Miller Center for two years, she went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dong Ryeol Lee
Dong Ryeol Lee assisted Professors Lars Hansen, Ralph Koijen, Elisabeth Kempf and Pietro Veronesi. Dong Ryeol has a BBA with honor from Seoul National University. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Tianshu Lyu
Tianshu Lyu assisted Professors George Constantinides, Zhiguo He, Jessica Jeffers, Elisabeth Kempf and Stefan Nagel. Tianshu has a BS in Computer Science and Finance with honor from New York University Shanghai and a Master of Finance degree from MIT. After working with the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at Yale School of Management.
Jun Xu
Jun Xu assisted Professors Jessica Jeffers, Anil Kashyap, Constantine Yannelis and Eric Zwick. Jun has a BSc in Economics and Finance from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a MA in Economics from Duke University. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, she went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at the University of Washington Foster School of Business.
Ammon Lam
Ammon Lam assisted Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Will Cong, George Constantinides, Sam Hartzmark, and Yueran Ma. Ammon has a BS in Mathematics with honors and a MS in Mathematics from Brigham Young University. After working with the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at NYU Stern School of Business.
Dongchen Zou
Dongchen Zou assisted Professors Wenxin Du, Lars Hansen, Anil Kashyap, Elisabeth Kempf, Pascal Noel and Eric Zwick. Dongchen has an undergraduate degree in finance and statistics from New York University Stern School of Business. After working with the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Sai Krishna Kamepalli
Sai Krishna Kamepalli assisted Professors Emanuele Colonnelli, Jessica Jeffers, Raghuram Rajan, and Michael Weber. Krishna has bachelor's in civil engineering from IIT Bombay and a master's in economics from UT Austin. After working with the Fama-Miller Center for two years, he went on to pursue a PhD in Economics at Columbia University.
William Cassidy
William Cassidy assisted Professors Lubos Pastor, Pietro Veronesi, George Constantinides, Michael Weber, Eric Zwick and Jessica Jeffers. Will has an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Xiao Yin
Xiao Yin assisted Professors Zhiguo He, Lars Hansen, Michael Weber, Bryan Kelly and Eric Zwick. Xiao has a BSc in Economics with honor, a BSc in Statistics, and a minor in Mathematics from the University of Washington. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, he went on to pursue a PhD in Finance at the University of California Berkeley.
Phillip Trammell
Phil Trammell assisted Professors Anil Kashyap, Elisabeth Kempf, Jessica Jeffers and Eric Zwick. Phil has a BA in economics and mathematics from Brown University, and previously worked at NERA Economic Consulting. Phil is currently pursing a PhD in Economics at the University of Oxford.
Yiran Fan
Yiran Fan assisted Professor George M. Constantinides on analyzing the relation between household income and consumption. Additionally, he assisted Professors Will Cong, Zhiguo He, Kelly Shue and Eric Zwick on a variety of projects. Fan earned a Bachelor of Economics in Finance from Peking University, an MPhil in Finance from Cambridge and an MS in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, Fan went on to pursue a PhD in the joint program in Financial Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Pierre Jaffard
Pierre Jaffard assisted Professors Will Cong, Elisabeth Kempf, Lubos Pastor and Jacopo Ponticelli. Jaffard has an Engineering Degree from Ecole nationale des Ponts et Chaussees, Marne-la-Vallee, France, and a master’s degree in Economics from Paris School of Economics, Paris. After completing his time at the Fama-Miller Center, he received his PhD in Finance from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is working at Capital Fund Management.
Markus Schwedeler
Markus Schwedeler assisted Professor Tarek Hassan on several projects. Markus has a BSc and MSc in Economics from the University of Maastricht and the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, respectively. He previously worked at the European Central Bank. After working with the Fama-Miller Center, he went on to pursue his PhD in Economics at Boston University.
Jinpu Yang
Jinpu Yang assisted Professors Bryan Kelly and Amit Seru on a variety of projects. Jinpu earned his AB in Mechanical Engineering in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, an MSME in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MS in Computer Science from University of Chicago. In the Fall of 2017 Jinpu will enter the PhD in Finance program at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.
Gerardo Manzo
Gerardo Manzo assisted professor Kelly analyzing the cross section of North America corporate credit default swaps spreads and assisted professor Veronesi on a variety of projects. Manzo has a BSc in economics and finance from University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy, an MSc in economics and finance from University of Rome, "LUISS" Guido Carlo, Rome, and a PhD in money and finance from University of Rome “Tor Vergata," Rome. Manzo is currently working for BlackRock in the Financial Modelling Group (FMG).
Menaka Hampole
Menaka assisted professors Pastor, Seru, Weber and Zwick on a variety of projects. Hampole has a AB in economics and a minor in Music from the University of Chicago and an MSc in economics from University College London. Hampole is currently pursuing a PhD in finance at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.
Philip Xu
Philip Xu assisted professor Hassan on his research projects in macroeconomics and international finance. Xu holds a BSc in mathematics from Fudan University, China, and an MSc in statistics from the University of Chicago. Xu is currently pursing a PhD in the joint program in Financial Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Leland Bybee
Leland Bybee assisted professor Bryan Kelly with work analyzing newspaper text corpuses to detect news events and help explain asset prices. He also assisted professor Kelly Shue on a project relating to corporate finance, and assisted professor Eric Zwick to build a centralized database of economic and finance data sets. Leland has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and MS in Statistics from the University of Michigan. Leland is currently pursing a PhD in Financial Economics at Yale School of Management.
Hongcen Wei
Hongcen Wei assisted professor Tarek Hassan on the importance of financial markets for real economic outcomes and the importance of sociological phenomena for economic growth. Wei completed his master’s degree at the University of Chicago and both bachelor’s degrees in China, with majors in finance and math. Wei is currently pursuing a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago.
Minsoo Kim
While at Fama-Miller Center, Minsoo Kim provided research assistance to professors Seru, Koijen, and Tsoutsoura. Kim received his BBA in business administration (minor in statistics), BA in education at Korea University, MS in statistics at University of Chicago (2012) and PhD in Finance from London Business School. Minsoo is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) at the University of Melbourne.